FCC Commissioner Wants To Investigate Apple Over Beeper Mini Access Blocking

JAKARTA Mini should be able to connect Android to iMessage. However, because the access was blocked by Apple, the application had to try hard until it finally failed to work.

With the end of Beeper Mini's efforts to break through iMessage's defense, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Commissioner Brendan Carr asked his agency to investigate Apple's actions regarding the blocking of Beeper Mini access.

According to Carr, Apple's actions have violated one of the FCC regulations. However, to prove whether Apple has violated the rules or not, the Commissioner said that the FCC should take action.

"I called the FCC to investigate whether Apple violated our Section 14 rules by blocking Beeper Mini - an app that allows interoperability between iOS and Android messages," Carr said via platform X on Thursday, February 13.

FCC Regulation Section 14, citing from The Verge, establishes that advanced communication services should not install any network features, functions, or capabilities that are meant to hinder accessibility or usefulness.

In line with these regulations, Carr stressed that Apple has changed the iMessage function to disable the Beeper Mini function. There is a possibility that Apple wants to hinder competition on the grounds of maintaining security.

"The FCC should launch an investigation to see if Apple's decision to decline the functionality of the Beeper Mini, which is provided to encourage accessibility and usability, is a step that violates FCC rules," said Carr.

At the end of January, Beeper announced that they had stopped looking for ways to break through iMessage's defenses. The reason is, for several months, Apple is still strong with its stance to block Beeper Mini's access.

When Apple first blocked Beeper Mini, the company said it only wanted to protect the security and privacy of iMessage users. They also want to protect users from the issue of spomatasuphising.

The reason for protecting iMessage to maintain privacy and security is considered strange. According to Beeper, Apple just wants to do the opposite, namely blocking iPhone users from using a safeRich Communication System (RCS).