Playing By The FCC's Rules? Google Voice Comes Under Fire.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently opened an inquiry into Google Voice, the popular messaging and call service offered by Google, and Google's practice of blocking certain calls. The inquiry was prompted by complaints from AT&T to the FCC accusing Google of unfairly blocking calls to certain numbers in rural areas where local phone companies charge high connections fees. A bipartisan group of 20 Congressional members also submitted a letter asking the FCC to open an investigation into Google's voice application. Google Voice allows users to sign up for a new, single phone number that routes incoming calls to cellular, work or home phones on services the user already has. It also provides users with free domestic long distance calls, low rates for international calls and free add-on services such as conference calling and voicemail transcription. As of October 28, Google estimated that 1.419 million people used Google Voice, of which 570,000 use the