A petition has been started that asks the FCC to prevent AT&T from forcing users onto a more expensive data plan to use FaceTime over 3G.
Free Press started the petition and the letter reads:
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Dear FCC Commissioners,
AT&T just announced it's blocking the FaceTime video calling app on its customers' iPhones unless they subscribe to a more expensive text-and-voice plan.
This is a clear violation of Net Neutrality and of your own Open Internet rules. AT&T knows that if it can get the FCC to condone this kind of Net Neutrality violation, then they can get away with just about anything.
I urge you to put a stop to AT&T's anti-consumer and anti-Net Neutrality actions.
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John Bergmayer, Senior Staff Attorney at Public Knowledge says, "By blocking FaceTime for many of its customers, AT&T is violating the FCC's Open Internet rules. These rules state that mobile providers shall not 'block applications that compete with the provider's voice or video telephony services.' Although carriers are permitted to engage in 'reasonable network management,' there is no technical reason why one data plan should be able to access FaceTime, and another not.
"'Over-the-top' communications services like FaceTime are a threat to carriers' revenue, but they should respond by competing with these services and not by engaging in discriminatory behavior."
Please sign the petition at the link below...
Read More [via Antoine]
Free Press started the petition and the letter reads:
---
Dear FCC Commissioners,
AT&T just announced it's blocking the FaceTime video calling app on its customers' iPhones unless they subscribe to a more expensive text-and-voice plan.
This is a clear violation of Net Neutrality and of your own Open Internet rules. AT&T knows that if it can get the FCC to condone this kind of Net Neutrality violation, then they can get away with just about anything.
I urge you to put a stop to AT&T's anti-consumer and anti-Net Neutrality actions.
---
John Bergmayer, Senior Staff Attorney at Public Knowledge says, "By blocking FaceTime for many of its customers, AT&T is violating the FCC's Open Internet rules. These rules state that mobile providers shall not 'block applications that compete with the provider's voice or video telephony services.' Although carriers are permitted to engage in 'reasonable network management,' there is no technical reason why one data plan should be able to access FaceTime, and another not.
"'Over-the-top' communications services like FaceTime are a threat to carriers' revenue, but they should respond by competing with these services and not by engaging in discriminatory behavior."
Please sign the petition at the link below...
Read More [via Antoine]