Report: FCC inquires into Apple, AT&T rejection of Google Voice app
Already having raised the ire of some developers and customers, the decision to disallow the Google Voice application on Apple's App Store has also attracted the attention of the FCC.
According to a Dow Jones Newswire report, on Friday afternoon the FCC sent letters to Apple, AT&T, and Google. The federal inquiry asks Apple why the Google Voice application was rejected from its App Store for the iPhone and iPod Touch, and why it removed third-party applications built on the Google app that had been previously approved. The federal commission also asks whether AT&T was allowed to weigh in on the application before it was rejected, and seeks a description of the application from its creator, Google, according to the report. There have been no complaints filed with the FCC about Apple's rejection of Google Voice, so it's not a formal investigation.
Apple did not immediately return a request for comment.
Google Voice is a free application that lets users assign a single number to ring their home, work, and cell phones, and also get voice mail as text transcriptions. Google Voice has been described by some as an "end run" around wireless carriers because it allows for free texts and cheap international calling, but users do still use minutes on their AT&T phone plan.
The letters are apparently part of a broader look at exclusivity contracts between phone manufacturers and wireless carriers. AT&T, for example, is the exclusive carrier for the iPhone in the U.S.
Following the announcement by Google that its application was rejected by Apple earlier this week, some developers, customers, and even a prominent blogger said Apple's decision would cause them to stop using their iPhones, or stop developing for the platform.
Erica Ogg is a CNET News reporter who covers Apple, HP, Dell, and other PC makers, as well as the consumer electronics industry. She's also one of the hosts of CNET News' Daily Podcast. In her non-work life, she's a history geek, a loyal Dodgers fan, and a mac-and-cheese connoisseur. E-mail Erica. 
All the applications on the iPhone are ANCILLARY to what the FCC regulates. The FCC does not have any authority to regulate what third party applications work on what handset. They do have the authority to regulate telephone service. Google Voice uses VoIP, not telephone service, to do it's thing. That it interfaces with the telephone network to accomplish some things is between the FCC and Google, not Apple. Apple or MS or whoever is not required to support or distribute any third party software.
The iPhone works exactly as advertised and sold. Not including Google Voice doesn't change that. Apple and ATT never sold the product with any indication that Google Voice was a feature, and are not obligated to include it.
Consumers have a choice. They don't have to buy the iPhone. It's not a monopoly, as there are plenty of similar, competing products out there. If Obama's administration actually jumps in to try to force a private citizen (a corporation) to sell it's products through venders it doesn't want to do business with, we truly will have lost the last vestiges of what America was. There will be no freedom left in our "free markets", only government mandates.
Hopefully the FCC will drop this as fast as they picked it up.
You are however incorrect in your knowledge of what the FCC is and does, and their inquiry.
1) The FCC (federal communications commission) is the governing body over any electronic (esp wireless) communication in the unitied states. Any wireless device must be first approved by them.
2) The FCC is to approve any and all agreements between companies relating to communications, such as the Sirius/XM merger, or two telecom companies merging as to keep a large monopoly from being created.
3) The FCC is hereby using this inqury to find out why the application was blocked as google was not given a reason. Its an inqury, and the opening paragraph of the very short 2 page letter indicated it is for information about the open wireless program, and for more information about the agreement between apple and at&t, which was not brough before the FCC before the agreement was made.
No, the FCC cannot MAKE apple allow the iphone on other companies, but this issue, as well as other companies complatins about not having applications approved/disapproved with NO information as to what to correct, has lead to thousands of requests to the FCC to look into the matter.
And Obama oversees the country. It's somewhat out of his power to go over a body which is designed to look into these issues, and if you recall his campain, he's all for open communication. He wants people to know whats going on, he's putting weekly broadcasts online. He wouldn't like a company to be so closed when there are hundreds of thousands of developers all trying to make the mobile world a better, funnier, and more intergrated and useful place.
Fair rebuttle?
Not exactly. Apple has a commercial that explicitly says if you want to do this or that there IS an app for that. That's not true. If you want to use Google Voice, there IS NOT an app for that. I'm not one to use the iPhone/iPod Touch or Google Voice, but if I were, I would be pissed that Apple lied.
I love my iPhone. I love my iPod Touch, but the more I hear of apps being rejected, the more I wish I would have went with Android.
Apple's app approval process is completely retarded! How they have rejected 2 apps by Google is amazing! They think iPhone users would be unable to determine the difference between Maps and Latitude? Hey Apple... I think I have the ability to READ and know the distinguish the difference between 2 different icons!!! It pisses me off that Apple things iPhone users are really that dumb! And Google Voice duplicates features of the iPhone? SO WHAT! Let me choose which which one I want to use? Maybe I might like the Google features better than the Apple features!!! That should be my right to decide.
But Apple hates freedom. Apple has become the very thing they said they would not be. They are now the company they were advertising against in that 1984 commercial -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYecfV3ubP8 Thanks Apple for thinking for me!!! The only thing missing now is newspeak!
"This is a private matter between two large companies." And all their users who are impacted.
Companies are artificial entities thus have no privacy. They do claim "Trade secrets" and abuse even that. When One Large Company issued a DMCA takeown notice to another Large Company involving my auction (MicroSoft to eBay) I asked to see the notice and was told no because the notice could contain confidential materal. I didn't even get to see what my accuser had to say. But I sure as hell had to live with the result with no recourse (how can you counter a claim you cain't see?)
Needless to say I don't lose sleep over the private matters of companies made public.
The iPhone is used by a wide spectrum of people in society, I don't think it's implausible to think that there were iphone users in the FCC who were either affected by Apple's decision to disallow GV (or found out about it on CNet!). Heh, so is this an example of where Apple/AT&T were victims of their own success?
I love my iPhone. I will tell people it's the most technologically advanced thing to ever bless my hand. It's a wonderful device that Apple has created... but Apple does a whole lot of wrong and they get away with it... where if any other company would do the same, the Apple fanboys would be out in full force declaring how evil so and so company is.
The "duplicate functionality" issue is a total crock, nowhere else more so than on iPod touches.
Plus, there are a boatload of VoIP and SIP clients: Skype, fring, Nimbuzz, 12Connect, Truphone, iSip, WeePhone, blah blah blah.
If you look at any other functionality that ships with the iPhone/iPod touch (calendar, messaging, calculator, map, stocks, weather, web browser, notepad, etc.) there are plenty of other competing apps.
We are not freaking idiots. This "duplicate functionality" B.S. is an insult to the intelligence of Apple customers, developers, and shareholders.
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-09-1739A1.txt
don't buy an iphone.
i like freedom, that's why i own a real smartphone.
Seriously? How is it different when the government tells a company what they can and cannot sell, and when a private company decides or not to distribute a product?
Do you even know what free markets and capitalism are? Or are you so blinded by Apple hate that you can't see that the FCC has not place dictating any of this.
If you don't like the iPhone, don't use one! Use a Pre, or Android, or another product. And take a civics course.
So its okay for Apple to revoke apps that have been selling for months while keeping their 30% than expecting the app creator to process refunds?
How is this any different from CZAR jobs telling you what you should be able to use and not use."
Do you actually read what you are typing?? Are you so biased that you can't see the difference between a private company and the government?? Oh, and I thought you only slammed Apple users, not Apple itself. True colors do not wash away my friend.
@ikr
So its okay for Apple to revoke apps that have been selling for months while keeping their 30% than expecting the app creator to process refunds?"
Once again, provide some proof that Apple is keeping the 30% after the app rejection and I am not talking about proof from some anonymous blog. We are patiently waiting.
I am not associated with monkeyfun14. Just for your reference, here is a link to a CNET article on the very same thing. And it's not an anonymous blog either.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-10299755-37.html
Let me get this straight - are you saying that this action is not a "good thing"? There's not an iPhone developer who isn't dancing a jig at this news. Ostensibly this action is to determine whether AT&T are attempting to abuse their position in the telecoms market by restricting competition (in this case, the ability to send SMS messages) but it will also force Apple to clarify the App Store approvals process.
Or are you one of these strange people who thinks that a "free market" exists and that it will somehow magically resolve this situation? I'm sorry to tell you that there is a huge gulf between what works in theory and what works in practice...
It's time for AAPL & T to stop bullying their "2-year-trapped" customers!!!! Finally I feel someone powerful is on my side.
You ROCK !!!FCC!!!
Wonder when the EU will get on to Apple for shipping OS X with Safari.
Here's one. They used to allow Mac Clones then shut that all down. Pretty anti competative if you ask me. Now they have an app store but only apps that don't compete with them (as Apple see's it) are allowed to be sold. Again anti competative.
All companies engage in anti competative practices given the chance. It's the nature of business and it's the role of government (if they want to have a free market) to counter this...especially when it gets in the way of a free market.
With respect to Macintosh clones, that was a bad business decision by Apple and they legally cancelled the contracts that had been issued to other manufacturers. Apple is a hardware company, not a software company and there is no reason why they should be forced to sell their software to other companies. Can you think of any other scenario where a company has been forced to sell its software to someone else?
In some respects I agree with the point about the App Store. The only thing that I have against adding competing App Stores onto the iPhone is that it adds complexity for both developers and customers. However, at the current time it looks like this might go some way to addressing the problems with the App Store.
Make calls
Text message
Use 3G
Use WiFi
Wait, what else does the FCC regulate again? Oh right, NOT applications and NOT Google Voice support...
As we all know, the current App Store approvals process stinks and needs to be overhauled ASAP. Hopefully this case will kick-start that.
I'm sure over the years you have took great joy of governmental investigations into Microsoft, so you probably don't know how to react now that some government agency is starting to look into the practices at Apple. It's ok, I am sure there is a support group out there to help you through this tough and trying time.
There is an app called RingCentral Mobile that accesses the RingCentral service. It appears that it operates very similarly to the GV Mobile/VoiceCentral apps' access of the Google Voice service.
I'm not defending Apple's inconsistent vetting process but I AM defending their right to choose what gets published through their store.
Come on people. This is not some publicly paid for government agency that has decided to not service certain people. This IS a company that chooses what THEY want to publish. It's within their rights. If you go into Bob's store and Bob doesn't like you, he DOESN'T have to serve you. If you go to Apple and say "hey, I made this, please sell it through your store" they can choose to do it or not. We don't have some special privilege that says Apple has to sell our junk (or even give it away). They're a private company and it is THEIR choice. Yes, there may be no rhyme or reason to WHY they make the choices they do BUT, it is still THEIR choice. Quit being whiny little babies. Apple has a right to do what they choose in this regard. Good grief. FCC investigation - gimme a break!
Hell, you only have to look at what happened at WWDC this year to see that Apple has lost the plot. When the session came up that addressed the App Store approvals process it was packed but there was no allowed Q&A at the end and the Apple representatives disappeared in a puff of smoke once they had finished talking.
Sure, the FCC is an unexpected party in all this but right now I'll take anyone who will sort out this mess.
the most disturbing thing about this investigation to me is that google didn't file a complaint, in fact they really didn't complain at all, i understand that google wants to be the nice guy and doesn't like to use the law against people but i'm pretty sure if this were somehow microsoft in apple's place, google would be a lot more vocal about it at least
a similar situation just happened when apple said it would only accept lattitude as a web-based app. Does anyone else feel like google lets apple push them around too much?
The FCC though does regulate AT&T and if they used their interest to harm their customers then this is their job. They are already looking at the exclusive contract with Apple that has lasted for over two years and if it has allowed AT&T to price fix which is also the FCC's job.
That doesn't even make sense. Those restrictions were made against the new frequencies made available from the TV spectrum that AT&T are not using with the iPhone.
The DOJ is investigating Google for monopolistic activities, but when Google comes out with a VOIP app (and so much more), Apple blocks it, the FCC investigates Apple/AT&T.
Stay tuned for the next chapter of this soap opera...maybe via Palm?
No one here will stop you.
http://www.google.com/chrome/intl/en/eula_dev.html?dl=mac
Have fun and you are welcome.
- by harkopao July 31, 2009 9:55 PM PDT
- People here are completely missing the point; This is not about Apple rejecting an application, this is about whether AT&T used Apple to engage in anti-competitive behavior. The FCC is not out to get Apple, they are out to get AT&T.
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- by lazycat202 August 1, 2009 3:08 PM PDT
- they're out for both ATT and Apple.
- Like this
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- by kelmon August 2, 2009 6:38 AM PDT
- Probably correct but if they can give Apple a good kicking for mucking people around with the App Store approvals process then this is welcome as well.
- Like this
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