Filed under: Apple Corporate
FCC investigation of Apple, AT&T and Google revs up today
Today is the day for Apple, AT&T and Google to submit their answers to questions the FCC posed about the banning of Google Voice on the iPhone. Google may be in for some tough questions too. USA Today is reporting Google will have to answer questions about why Skype is crippled on the Android Phone. While Apple and AT&T allow Skype to work over a Wi-Fi network, the version running on Android phones doesn't allow Wi-Fi access at all, but routes the calls over the regular voice network, burning up cellular minutes.
AT&T has famously stated it does not have any say about what is in the App Store, but will have to explain why the company changed the iPhone Terms of Service before the Slingbox Mobile app was released, then admitted to requesting that it be blocked from the App Store as long as it allowed TV streaming over 3G.
It isn't clear whether or not the responses to the FCC will become public for our reading enjoyment. The FCC allows the responses to be private for 'competitive' reasons, and it's a good guess that we won't know exactly what was said, although if the FCC takes action against any of the companies then the reasons will be public.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
mark said 2:26PM on 8-21-2009
Roast 'em, fry 'em, hang 'em by their b***s.
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Fernando said 2:34PM on 8-21-2009
AT&T should definitely be to blame for all their crap that they pull. "Oh it will cripple our network" :( Please take some of that billion you made in profit and improve your crappy network. The thing is though they are all like that it's not just AT&T, Sprint, Verizon they are all the same. They got us by the nuts and there ain't nothing we can do about it. FCC ain't gonna do crap either please all the lobbying that gets done, this is just a "look we actually do something" please!!! I doubt anything at all will come from this.
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Patrick said 2:38PM on 8-21-2009
What a waste of my tax money.
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mark said 2:39PM on 8-21-2009
Like every politician's salary isn't a waste of tax money. At least this may actually benefit us, the tax payers.
CHRiS said 3:31PM on 8-21-2009
quote
Like every politician's salary isn't a waste of tax money. At least this may actually benefit us, the tax payers.
end quote
WHEN? AT&T got $billions to better the infrastructure over the last 20 YEARS; At least most politicians are only around 4-8 years before they can be kicked out. Where is my ROI over the money AT&T already got in the 80s, 90s, 2000-2008?
Patrick said 4:59PM on 8-21-2009
If I'm given the choice of the FCC (funded by the tax payers) investigating iPhone apps or giving me some of my money back, I'll take my money. Geez... we are talking about freaking apps for a luxury device.
pika2000 said 2:38PM on 8-21-2009
AT&T and their bull ****, but hey, people are still giving them money, so why would they do any different?
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Duncan said 6:37PM on 8-21-2009
so... news? Answers?
... nothing?
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akcpe said 2:39PM on 8-21-2009
Cricket wireless is looking more and more appealing. $40 unlimited everything (incl. data) and no contracts.. These guys know where its at.
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Curly Eric said 3:02PM on 8-21-2009
Duhhhhh... Android is brand new and they just recently allows native coding. So unless the skype "codec" works on the dalek vm, it's not going to be ready for true skype calling. It's the same reason that voip is all but non-existent on the platform either ( sipdroid has 1 codec it supports ).
Skype doesn't run on my toaster either, it doesn't mean there is some big conspiracy here.
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CHRiS said 3:33PM on 8-21-2009
1. Skype on a toaster? Shitty analogy (very shitty, almost fan boyish)
2. Skype on iPhone (Works over Wifi) & Skype on Android (Doesn't work over Wifi) Much better analogy.
This may not be a conspiracy, but Google and Android are not innocent.
Desterado said 5:05PM on 8-21-2009
Soooo any word on when we are getting MMS on AT&T?
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autumnmist said 6:06PM on 8-21-2009
Apple has posted their response to the FCC online:
http://www.apple.com/hotnews/apple-answers-fcc-questions/
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