Cingular, Qwest Shocked That People Don't Like It When They Arbitrarily Block Calls; Lift FreeConference Ban
from the about-time dept
Well, it only took plenty of publicity and a lawsuit, but FreeConference.com is saying that Cingular and Qwest have backed down, and have started allowing calls to go through to their service again after being blocked for nearly a month. Apparently, a lot of customers complained (no surprise there) and the companies felt it was best to stop the blocks. Of course, the lawsuit probably had something to do with it as well -- along with the fact that the FCC has finally realized that maybe it should be finding out what's going on. Once again, though, it's not as if FreeConference.com and its Iowa telco partners come out of this looking good. They're basically scamming a set of ridiculous regulations that allow them to overcharge telcos. Unfortunately, the small local Iowa telcos involved don't realize that the more they complain about this, the more they're only asking for trouble. We'd already noted that they were whining a little too loudly about how their big scam was protecting the little guy. Today, they're back at it, spamming us with press releases about how, even though the services are working again, the "little guy" is still feeling the pain. The more these small telcos complain, the more attention they're going to get -- and sooner or later regulators are going to realize that they're basically scamming a badly written law. So, whether or not it's helping the little guy, don't expect it to last very long.![Hide This Hide this](https://ii.techdirt.com/s/t/i/topclose.png)
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FCC Nears Decision on Iowa Telcos
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Yep
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Black & White
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Re: Black & White
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We saw this coming
Problem is they won't do that. They will just cry foul until that particular loophole (and any other that may benifit someone other than the telcos themselves) is closed and they can go back to setting up there monopolies, nickel and diming customers into oblivion, complaining that they need more money to better serve customers, and outperforming their "competition".
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little guy
Techdirt is a small news company (telco’s) that competes for business for people to view their sites rather than look at big press companies like Wall Street, New York Times (AT&T and Sprint). If the press companies chose to file a suit against you to wipe you out even though you are working within ever legal right to operate your press company, would you stand up and cry fowl? Or turn and run? I think that even that you would stand up and fight that is the honorable and correct thing to do. These companies are protecting their legal rights and deserve to win against monopoly companies.
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Go Cingular/Quest
im actually for Cingular/Quest on this one. i think they need to reblock spam
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Dude...
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Here's an idea..
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Iowa Telcos Gain More Support
Senators Grassley and Harkin, the two Senators from Iowa, have met with a delegation from the Iowa Telco group. The Senators no doubt realize the political clout and savvy the local phone companies have in Iowa, since most of the state is served by small independent phone companies.
(AT&T may have cash, but the local telcos have something more valuable---thousands of votes)
At the very least Grassley and Harkin will no doubt contact the F.C.C. demanding to know “what’s going on?”
Such contact will put pressure on the F.C.C. to act on the matter.
The local phone companies want an order from the F.C.C. requiring full payment of moneys owed and a fine for blocking calls.
There are hints the local telcos might be willing to negotiate future recip rates
along with signs that grassroots support for the local telcos is growing, with a large number of complaints being filed at the FCC on behalf of the local telcos.
Ironically, AT&T last week announced 1st quarter profits of over $2-Billion.
Several Wall St. analysts predicted AT&T would earn over $11-Billion this year.
Earning that kind of cash, and complaining of paying out a few million dollars in legally owed recip comp money does not engender much sympathy for AT&T and the other large carriers.
What AT&T fails to point out, in their blitz of press releases about the local telcos, is that the local telcos are merely following a tariff which AT&T did not fight when proposed.
AT&T arguments, are lame and empty, but as they say in Texas, “empty drums do make the most noise”
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