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We are joining with FreePress to get AT&T to rethink its FaceTime blockade on customers who would prefer not to pay extra for its Mobile Share Plans. As revealed on late Friday afternoon, AT&T will require users to sign up for its more expensive Mobile Share Plans to use one of iOS 6’s most coveted features. Our reader poll shows most of you dislike the action:
Advocacy group Public Knowledge has this to say:
“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.”
…Senator Al Franken also says it is the wrong thing to do:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8kuhj4SKCE&start=445]
We believe AT&T should rethink its policy of using FaceTime as a carrot to move users to Mobile Share.
AT&T: Your loyal customers, many of whom have been with you since the launch of the iPhone, want to continue working with you, but moves like this make it almost impossible to rationalize staying.
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