AT&T Continues To Mock The Concept Of Net Neutrality; This Time With Google Hangouts Block
from the you-need-permission-to-innovate-on-our-network dept
The big telcos (AT&T and Verizon) have been trying to move more and more to wireless networks over wired networks, in large part because they've realized that, for whatever reason, the FCC more or less gave them pretty free rein to completely ignore net neutrality concepts on their wireless networks. So it really shouldn't come as much of a surprise to see that AT&T has responded to the latest Google Hangouts app, which replaces the standard Google Talk app, by blocking video while on a cellular connection on Android phones (oddly, it works on iPhones). As you may recall, AT&T actually got into trouble for doing the same thing with FaceTime on the iPhone. AT&T's statement about this, as given to The Verge, parses its words very carefully, as if they think everyone is a complete moron:All AT&T Mobility customers can use any video chat app over cellular that is not pre-loaded on their device, but which they download from the Internet. For video chat apps that come pre-loaded on devices, we offer all OS and device makers the ability for those apps to work over cellular for our customers who are on Mobile Share, Tiered and soon Unlimited plan customers who have LTE devices. It's up to each OS and device makers to enable their systems to allow pre-loaded video chat apps to work over cellular for our customers on those plans.The whole focus on "pre-loaded" apps was how AT&T tried to tap dance around net neutrality questions last year with FaceTime. And it's completely made up and bogus.
Basically, they're saying if you want to do video, you have to ask permission. That's a broken system. It goes against what makes the internet good and useful: the fact that you can innovate without permission. A mobile carrier -- one who may see video chat apps as competition, for example -- being able to act as a gatekeeper to block the usefulness of such apps is a dangerous situation for those who believe in promoting innovation. We shouldn't stand for an internet where one company gets to pick what you're allowed to do.
And, just to cut this off before anyone brings up a really silly argument to defend AT&T: yes, bandwidth on mobile broadband networks is somewhat more limited (though not as limited as they would have you believe). But, these networks, for the most part, have all done away with unlimited accounts anyway. So if people use up all their broadband quota on video calls, that should be their own decision. AT&T has already made pricing decisions that limit bandwidth to consumers, so further limiting their choice in apps makes no sense on top of that.
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Filed Under: blocks, google hangouts, mobile networks, net neutrality, permission, pre-installed apps
Companies: at&t, google
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Wait, what?
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Re: Wait, what?
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Re: Re: Re: Wait, what?
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Hangouts didn't come pre-loaded on my S3. I had to add it myself. So is it blocked? No? What? Bueller? Bueller?
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Missing the Point
You are missing the point. The purpose of everything is not to be useful and innovative; it is to acquire money and power.
Additionally, politicians and companies LOVE it when you have to ask for their permission...
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Re: Missing the Point
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Bandwidth does not equal data amount used
Ergo, Data Cap(amount you can use) is pointless when trying to control Bandwidth issues(size of pipe). Throttling, while just as heinous, would do more to satisfy the bandwidth issues that capping the amount of data a person can use.
This is nothing more than a straight money grab by all Wireless and Wireline telcos. Even with using basic services like Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Pinterest, etc... you can blow thru a Data Cap. This does not include the 2-6 email accounts a number of people have and access.
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Re: Bandwidth does not equal data amount used
Except that it will tend to cause customers to limit their use of high-bandwidth applications over mobile data.
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Google owns the internet.
Or it seems that way, anything goes wrong (piracy) it is Googles fault.
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Simple solution....
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Re: Simple solution....
Okay well I'll just get that magic phone that doesn't use Cellular or Wired communication run by an oligopoly. Along with my magic data plan which has reasonable speeds at a reasonable price with a telco who does not have a stranglehold grip on communications.
Want me to give you their number? All you really gotta do is say an incantation five times into a mirror (though there's a twenty percent chance a demon will leap out instead)
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Re: Simple solution....
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Re: Simple solution....
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Re:
Say, for example, everyone who was an AT&T customer quit tomorrow all at once and then re-joined two days later.
How much money do you think AT&T would make from Early Termination Fees vs lost subscriber income?
Let's say people quit for a full month so that's one full month they are not making money. How much padding do they have from Early Termination?
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Getting rid of Unlimited plans: Regress
Disabling features: Regress (Google Wallet (Verizon), Video Chat (ATT), Tethering (Verizon), IRC (Verizon))...
How can any company or person make the claim that regression is good for us?
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Re:
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Talk has always been blocked.
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Homophones are hard, let's go riding...
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Wait for it...
My best guess is that Google has done the math and realizes that the profit on IP traffic is insanely high. So they can compete with the big players by offering service at say 300% mark up instead of 30,000% mark up and look like saints.
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Re: Wait for it...
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AT&T
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In any case I wonder why Americans aren't protesting already. Seems they like to be abused in all sorts of fronts...
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find new job new you
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hangouts works on tmobilr
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