[governance] AT&T: Google Manipulates Media, is an Abusive, Power Hungry Monopoly

[Yehuda Katz]

AT&T: Google Manipulates Media, is an Abusive, Power Hungry Monopoly
Jason Mick (Blog) - October 16, 2009 8:45 AM

Art,Ref.:
http://www.dailytech.com/ATT+Google+Manipulates+Media+is+an+Abusive+Power+Hungry+Monopoly/article16524.htm

Google's cache:
http://74.125.155.132/search?q=cache:L_ETkxBglDkJ:www.dailytech.com/ATT%2BGoogle%2BManipulates%2BMedia%2Bis%2Ban%2BAbusive%2BPower%2BHungry%2BMonopoly/article16524.htm+AT%26T+Google+Manipulates+Media&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

Cover JPG:
http://images.dailytech.com/nimage/12400_google-big-brother1.jpg

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A new letter from AT&T to the federal government makes it clear that the
company has little love for Google

If there's one thing clear from the Google Voice iPhone debacle, it's that
there's no love lost between AT&T and Google.  AT&T, to date, is accusing
Google of everything from political and news manipulation, to violating net
neutrality.

The drama surrounding the rejection began shortly after when the Federal
Communications Commission opened an inquiry into who was responsible for the
rejection of Google Voice and whether the rejection violated any federal laws
or rules.  AT&T quickly responded that it did not mastermind the rejection, and
that it was Apple's doing.  Apple followed up, taking the blame and say it was
working to get the app approved.

Then came a second response from AT&T.	Apparently in a sharing mood, AT&T
sounded off against Google and complained to the FCC that it believes Google
Voice breaks the law.  Since AT&T has allowed VoIP apps onto the iPhone, but
Google Voice is still no where to be found.  Now AT&T has delivered a third
letter to the FCC further attacking the internet giant.

While Google has been attacked by many -- newspaper moguls, telecoms, and
internet rivals -- the new letter is perhaps the harshest conglomerated
criticism leveled against the company to date.	Written by Robert W. Quinn,
Jr., an AT&T Senior Vice President, the letter entitled "Google Voice;
Establishing Just and Reasonable Rates for Local Exchange Carriers" opens
claiming Google is a hypocrite when it comes to net neutrality.

Mr. Quinn writes: 

"As the debate regarding “net neutrality” has evolved, it appeared on the
surface that all parties shared the same desire to preserve the “free and
open” nature of the Internet, a goal enunciated by [FCC] Chairman Genachowski
with which we heartily agree." 

As communications services increasingly migrate to broadband Internet-based
platforms, we can now see the power of Internet-based applications providers to
act as gatekeepers who can threaten the “free and open” Internet.
Google’s double-standard for “openness” – where Google does what it
wants while other providers are subject to Commission regulations – is
plainly inconsistent with the goal of preserving a “free and open” Internet
ecosystem.
The letter claims that Google's explanation that it is only blocking certain
kinds of rural calls like adult sex-chat lines, to avoid high fees leveled
against the free service, is a lie.  The letter accuses Google of conspiracy,
saying it also blocked calls to an ambulance service, church, bank, law firm,
automobile dealer, day spa, orchard, health clinic, tax preparation service,
community center, eye doctor, tribal community college, school, residential
consumers, a convent of Benedictine nuns, and the campaign office of a U.S.
Representative.

According to AT&T, Google is "abus[ing] its market power".  AT&T insists Google
is not exempt, either from being free or being internet-based, from federal
regulations that prevent such call blocking.

The letter also calls Google a monopoly, citing, "In preparing a complaint to
challenge the Google/Yahoo arrangement, the [U.S.] Department [of Justice]
reportedly concluded that Google had a “monopoly” in these markets and the
proposed arrangement “would have furthered [Google’s] monopoly."

Furthermore, AT&T accuses Google of practicing broad-scale manipulation of the
media.	It says that Google blocked political advertisements from Senator Susan
Collins, due to her criticism of Moveon.org, a Google net neutrality partner. 
It also accuses Google of blocking the Inner City Press from Google News, as
the publication criticized the United Nation Development Programme, a
Google-sponsored program.

It then goes on to accuse Google of illegitimately "buying" ads in its own
auction to push its agenda for keywords such as "net neutrality". The letter
concludes, "Ironically, Google appears oblivious to the hypocrisy of its net
neutrality advocacy relative to its own conduct. [A]t the same time, Google
exploits the dominance of its search engine and its gatekeeping power over
other applications to give its preferred content greater visibility than its
political opponents’ content or to simply block its competitors’
applications altogether."

"Deliberately narrowing the principles to award Google a special privilege to
play by its own rules – or no rules at all – would be grossly unfair,
patently unlawful, and a renunciation of President Obama’s assurance that the
Commission’s Internet Policy Statement would be used to “ensure there’s a
level playing field” between competitors. Thus, the Commission’s first
fundamental step in leveling that playing field must be to unequivocally
re-affirm in its proposed rulemaking that it will not exempt Google from
whatever rules it ultimately adopts."

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