11/1/2009 - Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) said it has found a way to restrict call blocking on its Google Voice service to fewer than 100 specific phone numbers, according to a FierceWireless article. In response to an FCC probe on the application, Google said that beginning in July it began to notice "extremely high-cost calls to a concentrated number of destinations." In September, AT&T asked the FCC to look into the service, arguing that it violated both federal call-blocking regulations and net neutrality principles. Google reiterated its stance that the application should not be treated like a traditional phone service because it is a "Web-based software application." Google's Washington telecom and media counsel Richard Whitt said that the call blocking now occurs on a more "granular" level and said, "While we've developed a fix to address this problem, the bottom line is that we still believe the commission needs to repair our nation's broken carrier compensation system. The current system simply does not serve consumers well and these types of schemes point up the pressing need to reform."
Keywords: google Google Voice
Ticker(s): GOOG
Company Information For: GOOG
