Verizon Wireless Falls Flat in Response to Free Press App-Blocking Complaint

Verizon Wireless submitted its response to Free Press’ complaint about the carrier's decision to block subscribers from accessing "tethering" applications on their 4G phones. Verizon Wireless called for dismissal of the complaint, as it tried to avoid responsibility for its decision to restrict customers' ability to use the applications and devices of their choosing on its LTE network.

In June, Free Press filed a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission alleging that Verizon Wireless's actions to remove tethering applications from the Android Market were a violation of the license conditions for the spectrum on which Verizon operates its network.

Free Press Policy Director Matt Wood said, "Verizon Wireless's arguments in favor of blocking don't hold water. Its decision to block tethering applications is an anti-consumer practice that chills innovation and punishes subscribers who already pay a lot for data. It also violates specific license obligations that Verizon Wireless agreed to when it used the public airwaves to build its 4G mobile broadband business."