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What are the anti-carriers willing to do... Minimize
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Posted by: David Erickson 10/1/2009 7:49 PM

What are the anti-carriers willing to do to get (keep) a competitive advantage?

AT&T's letter to the FCC

Yesterday I was on a call with Hank Hultquist of AT&T. We were discussing net neutrality and the
letter filed at the FCC by AT&T that mixes “Self Help” with net neutrality (accusing Google Voice of Self Help).

AT&T wrote a letter on September 25, 2009 that stated:

“…By blocking these calls, Google is able to reduce its access expenses. Other providers, including those with which Google Voice competes, are banned from call blocking because in June 2007, the Wireline Competition Bureau emphatically declared that all carriers are prohibited from pursuing “ self help actions such as call blocking.” Google Voice thus has claimed for itself a significant advantage over providers offering competing services...”

This letter states that AT&T knows that it is wrong to conduct Self Help and AT&T accuses Google of using Self Help. AT&T is not stating that Self Help is bad for the consumer. AT&T is stating Self Help allows Google to reduce its expenses. Then AT&T says that Google thus has claimed for ITSELF a significant advantage over providers offering competing services.

So AT&T knows Self Help is wrong and knows that the 2007 Wireline Competition Bureau’s emphatic declaration was squarely directed at them and they confirm that in their letter.

AT&T’s act of reducing its expenses by use of Self Help on calls to FreeConferenceCall.com (or similar) for the purpose of gaining competitive advantage, and the Wireline Competition Bureau’s emphatic declaration directed at AT&T prohibiting AT&T from pursuing Self Help is squarely at issue. In other words the Wireline Competition Bureau has emphatically declared that AT&T is specifically prohibited from pursuing “self help” with regard to free conference calls yet AT&T does it anyway in an effort to reduce its own expenses and gain a
competitive advantage.

So I wanted to ask, “what is the difference between Google’s Self Help (as alleged by AT&T) and AT&T’s ithholding of payment, which is also Self Help?” Hank’s response was to say that one is call blocking and the other one is non-payment, and that AT&T and LECs are involved in legal proceedings that have not reached a final conclusion (cop out answer that avoids the question).

So I went to Dictionary.com and looked up the definition to “self help”: “The act or right of remedying a wrong, without resorting to legal proceedings.”

I guess AT&T believes they can remedy the problem by not paying, thus claiming for themselves a significant advantage over providers that offer competing services like Google. Then, they try to justify their own Self Help by stating they are suing the company that they are refusing to pay…?

Maybe they should just resort to legal proceedings and not also conduct Self Help! AT&T has made it very clear that by withholding payment on these calls AT&T is able to reduce its access expenses. Other providers, including those with which AT&T competes, are banned from withholding payments because in June 2007, the Wireline Competition Bureau emphatically declared that AT&T and all other carriers are prohibited from pursuing “self help actions such as withholding payments.” AT&T has thus violated the emphatic declaration!

This doesn’t mean I agree with Google – I don’t. If Google connects to any part of the PSTN then they should connect to all of the PSTN. And, if Google thinks they can selectively reserve the right to block calls, then the PSTN should reserve the right to block calls to Google’s numbers.
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Re: Administrator    By GLTaPENG on 3/10/2010 10:24 PM
Thanks for posting~~Nice Article
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