[telecom] AT&T faces formal FCC complaint for blocking cellular FaceTime use

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AT&T faces formal FCC complaint for blocking cellular FaceTime use

Policy is allegedly "harming its users and holding back mobile innovation."

by Timothy B. Lee Ars Technica Sept 18 2012

A coalition of liberal advocacy groups has announced plans to challenge AT&T's policy of blocking FaceTime video chat over its cellular network. AT&T has insisted that the policy does not raise network neutrality concerns, characterizing the uproar over the policy as "another knee-jerk reaction" by the consumer groups. Three of those groups-Free Press, Public Knowledge, and the New America Foundation's Open Technology Institute-are planning to make the knee-jerking official with a formal complaint to the Federal Communications Commission.

AT&T customers have always been able to use FaceTime over WiFi networks. Under AT&T's new policy, announced last month, users will also be able to use FaceTime with its "Mobile Share" data plans. And users will be able to use other video sharing apps on non-Mobile Share data plans. But if you want to use FaceTime and you've got a non-Mobile Share data plan, you're limited to WiFi.

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