FCC investigating Google Voice banishment from App store

Many of us (3G Buyers) only bought the iPhone because of the apps, myself included.

I totally agree... except for the comment about this is how it started with Microsoft.
Microsoft's always employed deceitful business tactics and never relied on innovation. Goes all the way back to Bill Gates secretly buying QDOS for pennies, tricking IBM into picking it up as the operating system for the PC while retaining rights to sell it as MS-DOS.

If Apple denies that ATT had anything to do with their own internal policies, the FCC cannot prove otherwise without getting a court to determine what information they have a right to know. For the FCC to come in and make "blanket" demands to know what Apple claims is "proprietary information" and then to say, "you must answer AND you cannot balk when we publish your documented answers for the mass media to read", they are pushing the limits of their power and they know it. Let it be tested now. Let it go to court. I believe, on a practical ground alone, that the FCC is attempting to solve too much in one fell swoop. What IS unprecedented is the speed with which the FCC is acting on mere suspicion of ATT. Why are they upset about the Google app and why NOW? They are biting of more than they can chew, I think and they will find that even they have limits. Just last week large numbers of people who enjoy this website were saying, "Eric Schmidt is on Apple's board, so they are probably breaking anti-trust regulations." Now those same people are upset that Apple made a decision which proves Google isn't just anti-trusting with them in the boardroom bed. Let's just see what happens. Meanwhile all the unsatisfied developers could get more organized and appeal to Apple based on numbers and lost revenue.

Anyone who read the questions asked can pretty much determine the following.

FCC is interested in:
(1) Determining whether AT&T is abusing it's exclusivity relationship to control the market place in an anti-competitive way
(2) Though Google Voice was the catalyst of this inquiry, it's also inquiring about all previous rejections to see whether AT&T had a role in those rejections (Sling comes to mind.)
(3) FCC is investigating whether exclusivity partnerships harm the general marketplace of Wireless service, in general.
(4) FCC is coming to Apple for this information, since the investigation is about this high-profile exclusivity relationship, and how AT&T may/may not be abusing it's powers due to contractual obligations.

One interesting thing about the confidentiality bit of this questionnaire is that they are rejecting any blanket immunity for confidentiality, meaning that if Apple chooses to hide every rejection, it must specifically request to do so for each individual item, and provide acceptable reasoning for this, else it be made public. This could definitely shed some light on the inconsistencies in the approval/rejection/pulling process at Apple. My thoughts here are: Apple is an organization, like any, consisting of people. People make decision. They are probably not run through committee for every app approval/rejection. Without committee approval, you can get speed in the process, however you'll lack consistency. I'm sure the "pull" process is probably run more by a committee or higher level, and while hurtful in general, I suspect they probably have reasons for doing so, whether or not we (the consumer/general public) understand/accept them.

I don't believe this inquiry will fix the problem of App Store approvals/rejections, however, I do believe this may cause bigger problems for AT&T. If the fault here is largely viewed to be Apple, I believe you're probably right -- the FTC may bring anti-trust monopoly charges against Apple as well. (There are more than one type of monopoly, and while people seem to think having a monopoly is illegal, that's not true. Abusing your power as a monopoly to prevent future competition is what's illegal.) Honestly, where I see problems for Apple is: rejections that duplicate iPhone features, either present or future. Such as voice control app rejections, MMS for iPhone, or Video for iPhone/iPhone 3G, are likely going to be problems for Apple, since to reject those would be abusing monopolistic power in order to prevent competition. If the phone is capable, and a developer can figure a way (even if Apple can't/won't due to trying to draw further attraction to new products), if Apple prevents them, that's when it comes to abuse, and that's what can get Apple into trouble. As for rejections like Sling/VoIP over Cellular, etc, it won't affect Apple, but might serve to harm AT&T if the FCC determines AT&T did make some roll in the decision.

Hmm, how exactly did apple reach that conclusion after approving a host of similar applications and then deciding to ban them all. I tell you why, they did it so that it wouldn't look like it was picking on Google. The smaller developers aren't a threat to Apple...so it was fine, but when Google shows up...whoa there...now we'll kick them all out "so we look even handed."

As for duplicating functionality they saw those capabilities when many of these apps went through the first time and I'm not talking about google's app, but some of the other google voice apps that got caught up in this net of arbitrariness. In general Apples behavior is akin to Exxon selling AND making cars and then forbidding the use of Sunoco or Chevron or Citgo gasoline in YOUR car or denying you the option by using a non-standard fill spout and then threatening to void the warranty if you change it. BTW, AT&T used to do the same thing...for those of you born in the 80s and late 70s it owned ALL the phones and long distance capabilities and the infrastructure that went to and from your house, operators, directory assistance, phone books you name it. It too kept other companies from even coming near it, back then the Google of phones was MCI (now WorldComm) and the precursor to all this mobile phone business was McCaw Cellular another company in AT&Ts sights back then.

That's why this investigation will move along...it may do so slowly at first but it will gradually continue to pick up steam and this predatory behavior will be exposed for what it is, monopolisitc.

As far as i know Apple used to say that about browsers too, but that changed...
Ergo your argument is weak. You/they can't refer to a rule that has already been changed by themselves.
My guess is that Apple wants to see how far the FCC will go with this, before saying something firm.
Apple are able to charge a lot more for the phone when they can hide the real price from people thanks to subsidized handsets. With AT&T having to compete with supreme services (like VOIP), Apple's future revenue is in danger - because AT&T and others will no longer be able to charge a ridiculous price for calls and texts.

Though inevitably VOIP will become the norm, and prices will drop like a stone. The question is how far the FCC will go. It could just issue a statement saying that preferably companies should be open for competition and that it will watch closely how this develops.

The tricky thing here though, is that both Apple and Google heavily supported Obama's campaign, and it is the president who chooses the chairman.

The Justice Department dropped the case vs. Microsoft in 2001, after Reno went out and Aschrcroft came in. Aschcroft didn't want to slap a big contributer in the face - they always need money for the next run.
It was about splitting MS in half - it went away over night...
It's all politics with the big lads like AT&t, Apple and Google.