Google should be ashamed for paying carriers to handle its traffic

Google is paying France Telecom-Orange to deliver its data to users.

It’s not clear how much Google is paying Orange, or what the precise terms of the deal entail, but it does look like a line has been crossed. Here’s why that’s bad. When he revealed the hitherto secret Google deal this week, Orange CEO Stephane Richard was clear that his carrier’s strong position in Africa gave it the leverage it needed to extract cash from the U.S. firm. In other words, Google stuck by its principles until self-interest dictated otherwise, and in the process Google is messing things up for other content providers.