Comments on: AT&T’s ‘Free Call’ Bill: $2 Million http://gigaom.com/2007/02/07/atts-free-call-bill-2-million/ Tue, 18 Jun 2013 04:11:49 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Tony Cochran http://gigaom.com/2007/02/07/atts-free-call-bill-2-million/#comment-581915 Thu, 27 Jan 2011 14:51:49 +0000 http://gigaom.wordpress.com/2007/02/07/atts-free-call-bill-2-million/#comment-581915 This was a very interesting read. The comments are at least as interesting as the story. I wish there was some follow-up. I’ll have to research this story further to see what has happened since this was published.

]]> By: ronit http://gigaom.com/2007/02/07/atts-free-call-bill-2-million/#comment-134627 Tue, 24 Nov 2009 11:39:14 +0000 http://gigaom.wordpress.com/2007/02/07/atts-free-call-bill-2-million/#comment-134627 nothing

]]> By: Free Conferencing CEO Asks FCC to Keep on Google Voice http://gigaom.com/2007/02/07/atts-free-call-bill-2-million/#comment-134626 Sat, 07 Nov 2009 01:06:30 +0000 http://gigaom.wordpress.com/2007/02/07/atts-free-call-bill-2-million/#comment-134626 [...] clearly companies like Erickson’s, which appear to be benefiting from an arbitrage play that boosts costs for carriers that have to terminate calls on higher-cost rural lines, haven’t been morally repugnant [...]

]]> By: 继续免费电话话题 | i Got it http://gigaom.com/2007/02/07/atts-free-call-bill-2-million/#comment-134625 Mon, 29 Dec 2008 09:53:02 +0000 http://gigaom.wordpress.com/2007/02/07/atts-free-call-bill-2-million/#comment-134625 [...] 在这里看到了这种免费国际长途的运作原理。大概就是说，在美国打长途电话到一些乡村地区，会占用那些当地电话公司的线路，这时像AT&T这样的大公司就需要支付一些线路占用费用。于是那些公司通过voip技术，把转接的国际长途的成本降到非常低，而赚取其与AT&T支付的线路占用费之间的差价。这样，其它州的电话用户越往这些偏僻的地方打长途电话，这些公司就可以从AT&T那里套更多的钱。之前的号码，和上面的三个号码都是Iowa州的，原因是Iowa州的这种termination fee高于通常的13美分，更容易赚到钱。AT&T一个月的支付额甚至可以达到2,000,000美元之多。当然这种套利活动还是引来了官司，包括施压于allfreecalls.net这样的公司，中止提供接入号码等。 [...]

]]> By: FuturePhone is of the Past | Voxilla http://gigaom.com/2007/02/07/atts-free-call-bill-2-million/#comment-134624 Mon, 08 Dec 2008 15:38:54 +0000 http://gigaom.wordpress.com/2007/02/07/atts-free-call-bill-2-million/#comment-134624 [...] Paul Kapustka does a great job in GigaOM of dissecting the apparent fall of “free” international VoIP service provider FuturePhone. [...]

]]> By: BLH http://gigaom.com/2007/02/07/atts-free-call-bill-2-million/#comment-134623 Mon, 21 Jul 2008 22:55:10 +0000 http://gigaom.wordpress.com/2007/02/07/atts-free-call-bill-2-million/#comment-134623 Does this include the majicjack that is currently being marketed?

]]> By: Brad http://gigaom.com/2007/02/07/atts-free-call-bill-2-million/#comment-134622 Thu, 19 Jun 2008 20:24:58 +0000 http://gigaom.wordpress.com/2007/02/07/atts-free-call-bill-2-million/#comment-134622 Normally I wouldn’t respond to online postings but yours was just calling out for some adjustment.

“unethical & immoral”

“intensive purposes ”

“No way an RLEC, ILEC, or whatever entity was routing traffic with a normal billing rate to AT&T, Sprint, etal. of $20K monthly goes to $2.2 million monthly.”

Wow.

First, you should get your money back from whatever law school you think you went to. What specifically makes this service “UNETHICAL & IMMORAL”? Are they killing baby pandas and selling their brains to illegal research facilities in Guam? Are they forcing people into the sex trade in the Virgin Islands? Does PUTTING IT IN ALL CAPS make it true? You have successfully and inadvertently given the perfect *correct* example of “begging the question” with your follow-up, “Surprise, surprise!”

Second, it’s not “intensive purposes” it’s “intents and purposes”. What the hell are “intensive purposes”??? You aren’t an expert if you don’t even know how to spell phrases you try to use to position yourself as an expert – it just makes you look dumb.

“Ask any auditor of the telco’s & they will tell you it is not illegal but they know that it is unethical & immoral and they are willing to go along with all of this because the telco doesn’t balk now when they are presented an exorbitant audit fee.”

Wow, did you hear that on the Drudge Report … or was it Dr. Phil? You’ve certainly got a craft ahead of you, weaving conspiracy and complacency as well as you do. Watch out Savage, another neocon is on the rise! Everyone (me!) says so, so it must be true! Ask *any* auditor!

Finally, AT&T’s having a large bill isn’t proof of anything other than they got stuck with a larger bill than expected – just like millions of AT&T’s customers. Couldn’t have happened to a nicer company.

]]> By: Phil http://gigaom.com/2007/02/07/atts-free-call-bill-2-million/#comment-134621 Mon, 09 Jun 2008 03:21:47 +0000 http://gigaom.wordpress.com/2007/02/07/atts-free-call-bill-2-million/#comment-134621 There may not be anything illegal…as this is a loophole, but it is more than UNETHICAL & IMMORAL. And surprise, surprise, if it is unethical and immoral it is for all intensive purposes illegal. This will be decided to be nothing more than what it really is, traffic pumping.

No way an RLEC, ILEC, or whatever entity was routing traffic with a normal billing rate to AT&T, Sprint, etal. of $20K monthly goes to $2.2 million monthly. This is ridiculous & laughable and will be determined by the FCC for what is is, a billing scheme.

Ask any auditor of the telco’s & they will tell you it is not illegal but they know that it is unethical & immoral and they are willing to go along with all of this because the telco doesn’t balk now when they are presented an exorbitant audit fee.

]]> By: Clem http://gigaom.com/2007/02/07/atts-free-call-bill-2-million/#comment-134620 Tue, 15 Apr 2008 03:18:34 +0000 http://gigaom.wordpress.com/2007/02/07/atts-free-call-bill-2-million/#comment-134620 There is nothing illegal about what futurephone did and will do again. The IXC’s are playing a pretty risky game with there international busines. If the Iowa court rules they are an ISP, they will be back in business and the carriers will owe them alot of money.

They hae filed some doc’swith the FCC that have very good arguments.

]]> By: The Talkster Blog » Blog Archive » Will Free Calls be strong-armed out of business? http://gigaom.com/2007/02/07/atts-free-call-bill-2-million/#comment-134619 Mon, 14 Apr 2008 18:10:06 +0000 http://gigaom.wordpress.com/2007/02/07/atts-free-call-bill-2-million/#comment-134619 [...] the closure of FuturePhone as highlighted in an article on GigaOm this morning, it seems like the end is near for the “free” calling companies. AT&T is going [...]

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