Press Release
Free Press: Comcast/Vonage Announcement 'Baffling'
Contact: Timothy Karr, 201-533-8838
WASHINGTON -- Today, Comcast announced a "collaborative agreement" with Vonage, a company that provides voice-over-Internet telephone services.
Late last year, the Associated Press exposed Comcast for cutting off access to legal file-sharing programs. In response to a complaint filed by Free Press and others, the Federal Communications Commission has launched an official inquiry.
Marvin Ammori, general counsel of Free Press and author of the complaint, issued the following statement:
"We are baffled as to why it was necessary for Vonage to strike a network management agreement with Comcast to guarantee that their services are not degraded or blocked. Such anti-competitive, anti-consumer practices are already against the law. And beyond that, Comcast has been on the record as saying that they do nothing to deter their customers' use of VoIP.
"This announcement calls into question the company's honesty about its treatment of competing services. Was Comcast degrading Vonage's VoIP service before this announcement? And are they continuing to degrade other services that compete with their products? That these questions remain unanswered by today's announcement is cause for great concern. This collaboration should do nothing to deter the FCC from investigating and stopping Comcast's blocking other Internet services."
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Free Press is a national, nonpartisan organization working to reform the media. Through education, organizing and advocacy, we promote diverse and independent media ownership, strong public media, and universal access to communications. Learn more at www.freepress.net
Late last year, the Associated Press exposed Comcast for cutting off access to legal file-sharing programs. In response to a complaint filed by Free Press and others, the Federal Communications Commission has launched an official inquiry.
Marvin Ammori, general counsel of Free Press and author of the complaint, issued the following statement:
"We are baffled as to why it was necessary for Vonage to strike a network management agreement with Comcast to guarantee that their services are not degraded or blocked. Such anti-competitive, anti-consumer practices are already against the law. And beyond that, Comcast has been on the record as saying that they do nothing to deter their customers' use of VoIP.
"This announcement calls into question the company's honesty about its treatment of competing services. Was Comcast degrading Vonage's VoIP service before this announcement? And are they continuing to degrade other services that compete with their products? That these questions remain unanswered by today's announcement is cause for great concern. This collaboration should do nothing to deter the FCC from investigating and stopping Comcast's blocking other Internet services."
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Free Press is a national, nonpartisan organization working to reform the media. Through education, organizing and advocacy, we promote diverse and independent media ownership, strong public media, and universal access to communications. Learn more at www.freepress.net
