Three groups have informed AT&T that they will file a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission regarding AT&T’s plan to restrict certain subscribers from using Apple’s FaceTime Over Cellular feature. Free Press, Public Knowledge, and the New America Foundation’s Open Technology Institute are contending that AT&T is violating network neutrality rules.
AT&T previously announced that FaceTime Over Cellular would only be available on its more expensive Mobile Share data plans. The announcement has drawn plenty of criticism, and the official complaint isn’t surprising — Free Press started a petition about the carrier’s policy in August. Today’s release from the group calls AT&T’s decision “a clear violation of the FCC’s Open Internet rules.”
AT&T responded to the original concerns, arguing that it didn’t violate net neutrality rules. It’s unclear as to when the FCC may respond to the complaint. Verizon and Sprint aren’t placing any user restrictions on FaceTime Over Cellular functionality. [via GigaOM]
