FCC officials held private meetings Monday with cable and telecom lobbyists who oppose the "open" Internet rules proposed by agency Chairman Julius Genachowski. Critics are now accusing the FCC of trying to broker a backroom deal.
With Skype releasing an iPhone app -- running on Verizon archrival AT&T's network -- it raises questions about Verizon Wireless's venture with Skype. Plus, Skype now plans to hike its Internet phone-calling and video rates.
Is there room in the U.S. telecom market for another Voice-over-IP phone company? Recent European transplant Sipgate thinks so and its low-cost phone service plan offers something many Web competitors don't: a free inbound phone number that anyone can call.
Thanks to the power of the Internet, it's getting harder for companies to control how we communicate and entertain ourselves. Google's new phone runs an app that enables users to make international calls far cheaper than with any wireless carrier. That's just one sign of growing consumer influence through the Net.
