The FCC letters to AT&T, Apple, and Google over rejected Google Voice app

UPDATED

Yes, that’s right, the FCC has some questions they want answered.

The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) has sent letters to AT&T, Apple, and Google over the strangely rejected Google Voice app. In the letter sent to Google they ask for a description of the Google Voice app and whiter or not Google has been approved for previous apps on the App Store (they have been approved before). To the phone manufacturer, the letter asks whether or not AT&T had any involvement in rejecting the Voice app.

Here is what FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski recently said in a statement:

The request is part of a broader-ranging inquiry by the commission on exclusive deals between cell phone carriers and handset manufacturers for hot phones. FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said Thursday that the FCC wants to look into rural areas where customers can’t buy the latest fancy phones because of such exclusive deals.

UPDATED:

We now have the letters that the FCC sent to Google, Apple, and AT&T. The letters can be found here at TechCrunch.

A cold statement from AT&T suggests that they have nothing to do with the app approval process. Of course everyone knows they do, but here is their statement anyway:

“AT&T does not manage or approve applications for the App Store. We have received the letter and will, of course, respond to it.”

I’m sure AT&T has something fishy to do with it. After all, this is AT&T! All of this talk might not bring Google Voice to the iPhone (sigh), but it makes sure that something like this doesn’t happen again.