A
dispute and subsequent investigation by the U.S. Federal Communications
Commission pertaining to charges of Verizon Communications Inc.(NYSE:VZ) blocking
Internet access between devices has been ended by the Commission accepting a
$1.25 million settlement from the telecom company on Tuesday.
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Phone
companies used to charge extra fees for sharing of internet access between
devices but Google and Apple work with carriers to provide applications that
can circumvent these fees.
A
year ago a public-interest group, Free Press, complained to the FCC, that
Verizon had asked Google to withhold such applications - called tethering
software - to block Internet sharing access. This had prompted the
investigation by the FCC.
Verizon
Wireless, joint venture between Verizon Communications and Britain’s Vodafone
Group, told the FCC that it did not block customers from using third-party
applications.
It
said that Tuesday's settlement, “puts behind us concerns related to an employee's
communication with an app store operator about tethering applications."
Customers
had complained that Verizon usually ended up charging them twice for the same
service as tethering fees - even those who paid for data based on their usage.
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