Chairman Kevin Martin

US government regulators agreed on Thursday to begin drafting rules that would require Internet service providers (ISPs) to treat all Web traffic equally. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman Julius Genachowski and two other Democrats voted in favor of crafting rules on "network neutrality" -- the principle that ISPs provide the same speed and level of service to all Web users, regardless of size. The new rules would prevent ISPs, for example, from blocking or slowing bandwidth-hogging Web traffic such as streaming video or other applications that put a strain on their networks or from charging different rates to users. During his White House campaign, ... Read Full Story

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google Inc said on Wednesday it restricts calls to less than 100 U.S. telephone numbers with its Google Voice service, responding to a query from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission. Google Voice has been surrounded in controversy since its launch in March. Google has said that Apple Inc rejected the Voice application for the iPhone, while Apple has maintained it is still studying the software. In addition AT&T Inc complained to the FCC that the service was restricting calls to some users. Earlier this month, the FCC asked Google to explain how the service blocks expensive calls to some rural ... Read Full Story

Federal regulators will look into complaints by AT&T Inc. that Google Inc.'s free messaging and calling service, Google Voice, blocks calls to rural communities where local phone companies charge high connection fees. The Federal Communications Commission on Friday sent a letter to Google requesting information about its Voice service, which lets people sign up for one number that can route incoming calls to cell, office or home phones. The service also lets users place calls, including international calls, at low rates. As part of a broader quarrel with Google, AT&T has complained that Google Voice blocks calls to phone numbers in some rural communities ... Read Full Story

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A group of Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives called on the Federal Communications Commission to investigate Google Inc's ability to block calls to rural telephone exchanges. Google's Voice service is at the heart of a dispute between the world's largest Internet search company and Apple Inc over why Google's voice application is not available on the popular iPhone. AT&T Inc, the exclusive carrier for the iPhone in the United States, has argued that Google would have an unfair advantage if Google's Voice service is not subject to the same rules applied to phone operators. Google said Apple ... Read Full Story

The head of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is expected to outline rules on Monday requiring Internet providers to respect "net neutrality," the principle that all Web traffic should be treated equally. FCC chairman Julius Genachowski is to make a speech at the Brookings Institution, a Washington-based think tank, on Monday during which he will "affirm his support for a free and open Internet," the FCC said. The regulatory body did not provide any further details about Genachowski's speech, his first major pronouncement on the hotly contested issue since taking office. But The Wall Street Journal and other newspapers said the FCC chairman would ... Read Full Story