Verizon, Caught Red-Handed

[Commentary] Verizon is violating Federal Communications Commission statutes and its promise that it open up its high-speed LTE network to any device. The company has now on multiple occasions refused to connect my Google Nexus 7 LTE tablet, though the device was publicized widely as working on Verizon and though I have confirmed that it can work on its network. Verizon is thus clearly violating FCC regulations governing its acquisition of the spectrum that enables its LTE service, which require it to open to *all* devices. Google anticipated precisely this situation when it entered the spectrum auction Verizon won and insisted then on open access as an FCC condition of the sale: Google ended up marketing an unlocked device made to run on Verizon's LTE network and now Verizon refuses to honor its promise to abide by the rules of its auction to do so.

[Jeff Jarvis is author of 'Public Parts' and 'What Would Google Do?']