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AT&T Wants FCC to Probe Google Voice

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I must be the only one..

bp3dots1

Sep 27, 2009, 7:48 AM
who thinks the bigger problem is Google Voice being forced on AT&T.

While I can appreciate the desire for people to get stuff cheaper, (especially in these times) from a business standpoint I think thats pretty crappy of the Feds to do. Why should I be forced by the govt to allow a 3rd party to effectively give away the services that I provide for free?

If you had a pie stand, and the govt told you that anyone who wanted a free pie had to get one, how would you feel?

-Back to the present topic-

Of course AT&T should be able to challenge this. If they're going to be forced to allow this service then Google shouldn't be able to pick and choose which calls they can offer for free. Its ridiculous to think that its right to be able t...
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rwalford79

Sep 27, 2009, 9:20 AM
Lets get something straight here...

GoogleVoice is free as a service

GoogleVoice App is free as a program

GoogleVoice Web is free as a web page

GoogleVoice DOES NOT circumvent anyone from using "anytime", "night and weekends" or other minutes. If you have a MyFaves, Friends & Family, A-List, or Pick 3 calling plan, then sure you can use it in that to have a bigger calling circle. Point still remains, GoogleVoice does not have its own network to circumvent a wireless carrier charging minutes to make or receive calls via GoogleVoice.

An application that brings up an "address book" so people dont have to manually dial, or memorize numbers is just that, AN APPLICATION ADDRESS BOOK. It again, does not call your phone via data, or s...
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bp3dots1

Sep 27, 2009, 9:54 AM
According to many people who have spoken up about this, the SMS app is enough that you can get rid of your SMS plan, so thats an instance of GV doing something for free that AT&T charges for. (If thats incorrect, then I'm wrong on one point)

And According to GV's website "Call any number within the contenintal US and to Canada for free" - If I could call my friend in Canada for free everynight and talk for hours using only my N+W mins and circumventing the intl charge, that's also GV doing something AT&T would charge me for for free. Discounted international rates are the same thing, just replacing "free" with "Cheaper."

Thats pretty much exactly what I was talking about. The FCC forcing a company to allow use of a 3rd party product w...
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Azeron

Sep 27, 2009, 11:09 AM
"According to many people who have spoken up about this, the SMS app is enough that you can get rid of your SMS plan, so thats an instance of GV doing something for free that AT&T charges for. (If thats incorrect, then I'm wrong on one point)"

The wireless carriers incur no cost to provide SMS or MMS to customers. Yet, inexplicably they have raised that rate three times since 2003. As it stands Google requires that customers provide a phone number. If the FCC interferes look for GV to drop that requirement.

"And According to GV's website "Call any number within the contenintal US and to Canada for free" - If I could call my friend in Canada for free everynight and talk for hours using only my N+W mins and circumventing the intl char...
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bp3dots1

Sep 28, 2009, 7:57 AM
"The wireless carriers incur no cost to provide SMS or MMS to customers."

the cost of maintaing the network is the cost of providing SMS/MMS. And I agree that the price hikes are out of this world.

"Carriers do not make money of LD and Roaming. They are merely passing on a charge which they incur."

If they're incurring the cost, then its reasonable to expect that they wont just dish it out of their own pockets. It's the same as transportation costs increasing the cost of produce.

"Knowing that it has absolutely no cost at all but there are persons like you advocating the rape of consumers by companies using airwaves which we the people allow them to operate on sickens me."

I advocate the right for companies who do not have...
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Azeron

Sep 28, 2009, 8:43 AM
You asserted that carriers were losing revenue on LD because Google allows customers to eschew paying those and I merely pointed out that carriers do not make money off LD.
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bp3dots1

Sep 28, 2009, 8:46 AM
Fair enough, though it's effectively the same difference. If the carrier is paying the charge, but not getting it back from the customer, then they are still losing money. Just as if they had been charging for the service and the customer found a way to do it for free.
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ItsSprintnotwalk

Sep 29, 2009, 12:31 PM
If they are using GV to call canada ATT is not being charged for the LD either...


🙂
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Slammer

Sep 28, 2009, 9:29 AM
Yes. Maintaining a network does cost money. But most carriers(if not all), charge you infrastructure fees every month that are not government mandated. If you take these charges and multiply them by most of their subscribers, this is a huge chunk of change a month. AT&T sits on these charges and allows their network to suffer a great deficiency and let it fall behind. Rather than using the subscriber funded "Infrastructure" fees to bring the network to current progression of LTE and WiMAX, They simply roll out a cheaper alternative to pacify their unsuspecting subscribers while continuing to rake in these fees. Disgusting! AT&T is not loosing much here and has the odacity to cry over what google is doing(or not doing). Their subscribers dese...
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bp3dots1

Sep 28, 2009, 9:34 AM
I don't argue that it's a poor decision. I just argue that it's their decision to make. I AT&T thinks this is the best way to run their show than let them go for it.
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eatm0rewaffles

Sep 28, 2009, 1:35 PM
Well okay... just to keep this civil, I agree with some of the points which you brought up. Such as, AT&T is a business and has a right to stand up for its self when it sees its profits (or potential income) threatened.

Now lets put the shoe on the other foot here, and take a look at the Good old fashioned American Way. People have and will continue to come to America because it is the "Land of Opportunity." It is the Capitalistic way to have new technology and innovative ideas to push and ensure progression within any industry. Lets take a long hard look at the two business models currently in play.

1. A one hundred year old TelCo provider is bitching and moaning about progression within its industry (I would put money on it that...
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Iknownothing

Sep 28, 2009, 9:04 PM
I think you maybe have a misunderstanding of how this works. First of all what you are describing as a complaint that att could have has absolutely nothing to do with what they are complaining about.

Second google voice offers voip. When you buy a cell phone with a data plan the carrier sells you both the data and the voice product. Much the same as if you used your phone carrier for your home phone and internet. gv allows you to make voip calls on you cell phone much the same way skype does on your home computer. If someone chooses to skype on their home computer to their friend in canada so that long distance calls will not apply then that is their perogative. In no way does this cicumvent any cost because there is no cost incur...
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