A few months back, I wrote about the miracle that was Futurephone: a service that offered free unlimited overseas calls.
And then, abruptly, one day, the service shut down. Hundreds of you have written to me, asking what went wrong. I asked the company’s founder, Tom Doolin, but he didn’t respond.
In the meantime, this theory emerged as to why Futurephone had to shut down—a tale that involves AT&T’s being stuck with a $2 million bill.
But then, finally, I’ve just heard from Tom Doolin. Here’s his note:
“Sorry it has taken so long to get back to you. But with several major telephone carriers using legal tactics against us, we’ve been putting out fires.
“I don’t know if you have been following all the things that have gone on with the telco’s in Iowa. Your piece, along with Alec Saunders’, created quite a stir, and may change the telephone business as we know it.
“Futurephone has spent the last three months confirming we have done nothing wrong. We are now represented by Venable Law firm out of Washington D.C., and they have notified AT&T and Qwest that we are filing a formal complaint and asking for it to be expedited. We are asking the Iowa carriers to reconnect our service.
“We have updated our Web site to reflect our position, and feel confident we will be offering your readers free international calls soon.”
I, for one, will be fascinated to see how the FCC rules on this one.
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