FREE CONFERENCE-CALLING SERVICE SAYS TELCOS ARE BLOCKING CALLS

摘要

A company that offers free conference calling complained on its website that AT&T/Cingular, Sprint and Qwest are blocking its service. Freeconference.com said the 3 companies are 搗iolating the public trust as well as abusing their market power.?The charge is the latest in a battle between several Ia.-based free calling services and major telephone companies that say they抮e footing the bill for the free services through unusually high access charges. The free services offer international calling, conferencing, voice mail and adult content. Qwest and AT&T recently filed suits against the services and the Ia. phone companies that, according to Qwest and AT&T, are collaborating with the free services. Said a Sprint spokesman: 揥hile it抯 understandable why an offer of 慺ree?conference calls would be appealing to customers, there抯 no such thing as a free lunch, and there are no free conference calls, either. Someone is paying for those calls -- and unfortunately it抯 our other customers.?/font>