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State Representative Joe Atkins
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-4192
For more information contact: Matt Swenson 651-297-8406
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ATKINS TO GOOGLE: YOU CAN’T HAVE IT BOTH WAYS
ST. PAUL, MN - If you want to call your mom in Grand Rapids or your cousin in La Crescent, don’t count on using the new Google Voice phone service - they’ll simply drop your call. The new online phone service offered by Google is designed to make life easier for consumers, assigning one number for your work, home, and cell phones. But to avoid higher connection fees with rural phone services, Google is blocking calls to Greater Minnesota. According to Minnesota House Commerce and Labor Chair Joe Atkins, that does more than give Google an unfair advantage over other phone services; it may actually be against the law - in more ways than one.
“If Google wants to be a phone service it ought to comply with the rules that apply to phone service providers, namely providing service to rural areas," Rep. Atkins said. “If they want to be viewed as an Internet service, then they ought to comply with net neutrality rules, which require the service to be accessible to all customers. Whichever way you cut it, it seems to me Google is out of line here.”
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently announced it will open an investigation into the matter beginning next Thursday. The focus of the investigation will center on the issue of net neutrality and whether Google Voice is complying with federal Internet regulations guaranteeing equal access for all consumers. In a letter to Google Vice President Kent Walker last week, Rep. Atkins acknowledged the FCC’s upcoming investigation and articulated his concern that Google may be ignoring the rights of rural consumers.
“Google can’t have it both ways,” Atkins said in the letter. “States like Minnesota may not have jurisdiction on net neutrality, but we definitely have the power with respect to the blocking or failure to complete intrastate calls.”
Chair Atkins has asked for an explanation from Google. To give Google a chance to respond, Atkins said he plans to hold off on taking further action on the matter until December 1st of this year. You can find out more about Google Voice at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4Q9MJdT5Ds.
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