AT&T is accusing Google's Voice service of violating federal call-blocking rules, giving it an unfair advantage from banning some calls that charge expensive access fees.
In a letter to the Federal Communications Commission, the telecom giant argued that Google was violating federal rules barring phone companies from blocking calls.
"The FCC cannot, through inaction or otherwise, give Google a special privilege to play by its own rules while the rest of the industry, including those who compete with Google, must instead adhere to FCC regulations," AT&T said in the letter.
AT&T said Google Voice curbs costs by refusing to connect calls to some services that charge expensive access fee, such as adult-chat lines and conference-calling services, and would have an unfair advantage if its Voice service was not subject to the same rules imposed on network operators.
The Internet search giant has acknowledged it blocks calls to some services but argues that its application is exempt from FCC rules because it isn't a traditional phone carrier -- consumers can use it only if they have another phone.
Google said its Voice service is merely a call-forwarding service, letting users sign up for a free phone number that, when called, simultaneously rings all of a user's other phones.
The battle between AT&T and Google is part of a broader war between the two companies, which sit on opposite sides of the fence on the issue of "net neutrality."
Last week, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski proposed new rules for net neutrality, requiring telecoms to open their networks to any legitimate Internet content or service without discrimination -- ensuring consumers can use the Internet as they please and without providers interfering with their competitors' services.
The new regulations, if adopted, would be a victory for big Internet companies at the expense of network operators.
Carriers such as AT&T and Verizon have argued that existing net neutrality guidelines were sufficient -- saying that they want the ability to protect their networks from bandwidth-hogging applications, like Google Voice.
Heavy usage can overwhelm cellular towers and neighborhood cable circuits, slowing traffic for everyone.
Internet companies like Google want to safeguard what has been an underlying net neutrality assumption of the Web -- that all types of data are treated equally.
Some critics suggest that if operators can block traffic, they become the gatekeepers of the Internet, which could stifle innovation.
