

Google not so keen on net neutrality in its own backyard - grellas
http://digitaldaily.allthingsd.com/20091015/google-att-nuns/

======
txxxxd
This has nothing to do with net neutrality. (The requirement to provide
telephone service to rural numbers falls under telephone regulation.)

~~~
jdrock
The telephone system is not part of the Internet? News to me.

------
jrockway
_Don't be evil, my ass_

I am pretty sure Google is not blocking calls to nuns because it is trying to
be evil. Either they are not a regular phone number, or this is a bug. It's
beta. There will be bugs.

I really hope AT&T's whining doesn't ruin this for the rest of us. I love
Google Voice, and it would be a shame to see regulations kill it off before it
is even out of beta. It's a free service. Why should it have to let me call
900 numbers?

~~~
protomyth
No, it isn't a bug. Unfortunately, telephone regulations allow some local
carriers to get away with some unfriendly charges to the big phone carriers.
Google made a choice to block those rural (not 900) numbers because they
currently aren't as regulated as a "real" phone company.

I hope that this will change the rules for carrier charges, but I also think
Google needs to play by the same rules as everyone else. Blocking rural calls
is evil when the rural users have no knowledge of how the system works and are
just innocent victims.

~~~
haseman
Many of the rural exchanges are anything but innocent. Many of them work with
free conference call and phone-porn companies and then hike their connection
rates to absurd levels. They rely on the law to over-charge telecoms. This
isn't to say they're all doing it, but there are a lot of them out minting
free money from the telecoms.

~~~
protomyth
When I was referring to innocent, I was referring to the people being blocked
NOT the rural exchanges.

~~~
haseman
ah, I read "rural users" and thought you were referring to the rural
exchanges.

------
haseman
Incorrect and misleading headline. I'm all for bringing Google down a peg, but
at least read the name of the regulations you think Google is in violation of
first.

------
wmeredith
I find this topic fascinating, but that article was unreadable. I stopped
about half way through. Tiny type and horrible writing style.

~~~
Pahalial
<http://lab.arc90.com/experiments/readability/>

Not a fix for the writing style, unfortunately.

