US: AT&T, Verizon named in probe of $20 billion data market

Verizon and AT&T are under fire from the Federal Communications Commission, which is investigating both companies for allegedly “locking out” smaller competitors in the special access sector of the massive data industry. Other companies included in the probe are CenturyLink and Frontier.

The FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau has announced that the four companies are facing accusations from smaller providers for abusing their dominance in a significant portion of the wireless market. Special access services are those used by businesses, governments and educational institutions to provide high-speed Internet access, which are often used to connect things such as ATMs, retail outlets and university libraries.

“The Bureau concludes that the record raises sufficient questions regarding the lawfulness of certain terms and conditions contained in certain special access tariff pricing plans offered by AT&T, CenturyLink, Frontier and Verizon to warrant their investigation,” says the FCC.

Full content: The Kansas City Star

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