The FCC is going to be taking a closer look at the Google Voice service to determine whether it should be governed by the same rules as other phone service operators. AT&T has been particularly whiney about the service and the lack of regulation.

The biggest problem AT&T sees is that Google is allowed to block calls that may be too expensive for users, something regular providers aren’t allowed to do. I’m not sure why AT&T has such a problem. It blocks calls all the time. You know, you get halfway into a call and AT&T decides it should be blocked. And you should not be compensated for any lost time. It also blocks your ability to have a truly unlimited data plan and blocks your phone from having basic services despite years of availability on other devices. Really, AT&T is blocking anything it wants, so why not spread the love?

I do find it funny that it took a high-profile app rejection to bring all of this to light. The results of the investigation will likely be applied to other VoIP services like Skype and Vonage, both of which have been around a whole lot longer than Google Voice. The unfortunate thing is that big wireless could gouge features out of customer-focused service because it fears competition.

It appears Apple isn’t going to take allegations that it did indeed reject the Google Voice app lying down. The company has fired back in a short statement to Silicon Alley Insider.

We do not agree with all of the statements made by Google in their FCC letter. Apple has not rejected the Google Voice application and we continue to discuss it with Google.

Well someone is lying – we know that much – and I’m still going to bet it’s Apple. Why would Google release statements to the contrary if they were still in talks with Apple. That doesn’t fit with Google SOP in any way, though ass-covering does seem to fit fit Apple quite well. As SAI has it, Google declined to comment any further on the situation. I just hope the FCC is around to break-up the ensuing slap fight should things get any worse.

Google has handled the FCC investigation over the rejection of Google Voice applications on the iPhone applaudably well. The search giant has offered lengthy explanations of just what the application does and answered FCC questions with tact an honesty, even going so far as to keep private the conversations it had with Apple regarding the subject matter.

Those conversations weren’t meant to stay private, though, and after several Freedom of Information Act filings Google’s letters to the FCC can now be viewed in unedited form (PDF). The most interesting response, and the one Google had tried to keep private, cements Apple’s villainy in the matter and suggests Apple lied to the FCC with regard to the application.

According to Google, Apple did reject the application, the news of which was delivered by none other than Phil Schiller. You may recall that Apple claimed it did not reject the app but was still pondering just what to do. It’s been a month since that claim surfaced and yet we still have no Google Voice app.

It seems pretty obvious that Google was giving Apple some time to do the right thing. So what if they wanted to lie; if the application finally made it into the store, even on a few months delay, no problem. But Apple did nothing, so instead of asking the FCC to reject the FoIA requests, Google released the documents in full, which puts Apple in a very unfriendly sort of limelight. No one is happy about this decision, and a lot of people are downright pissed. From here it looks like we’ll just be waiting to see whether Apple will try to appease the consumer and the FCC with an approval, or be forced to do so via legislation.

TechCrunch founder Michael Arrington has been one of the most prominent industry voices against Apple’s rejection of the Google Voice app. He was so miffed, in fact, that he gave up his iPhone for a myTouch 3G to be a part of initial GV Mobile testing. The FCC has since started to investigate the situation with regard to market competition and sent Apple backtracking. It’s become pretty clear over the past couple days that Apple acted alone in denying the app, and that no one, not even the FCC, is happy with their (Apple’s) decision.

Back to Arrington. He’s put together the best comprehensive analysis of the proceedings I’ve seen in the past few days. I’ve always kept an ear to the wall where Mr. Arrington decides to voice an opinion, and he has what might be some promising news for iPhone owners.

Here’s what you need to know. Several sources within Google confirmed to TechCrunch that it was indeed Apple who rejected the app – not AT&T and certainly not Google. Apple now denies ever rejecting the app, suggesting instead that it’s still under review because it could possibly take over for the iPhone’s native features, a claim that appears to be patently false.

The outcome? Arrington believes, for what seems to me good reason, that we’ll see the app pushed through in short order. Apple has been scrambling lately to revamp their approval process, making concessions for apps that have been previously denied. They’re also citing reasons for denial that are simply untrue or easily disproved. According to Arrington, that all points to approval. In his words:

Here’s what we believe Apple is preparing to do next. Their statement that they haven’t rejected the app, along with the long laundry list of complaints (none of which are true) tells us that they’re backtracking, and fast. Sometime soon, we guess, Apple will simply accept the Google Voice application. They have to – any serious investigation into the app by the FCC will show that the complaints around the app are unfounded and that it does none of the things Apple accuses it of doing. So Apple will save face by simply asking Google to ensure that the App doesn’t take over native phone, sms and other functions, and doesn’t sync the contacts to Google’s servers. Google will comply (they already have), and Apple will graciously accept the application.

That would certainly be a win for consumers, though it might be too late to win someone like Arrington back. He’s already fallen in love with Google Voice on Android. With such a ridiculous approval process and the fact that it took federal involvement to get the thing going, I can understand the angst. Unfortunately, I didn’t found TechCrunch, so no one asks me to help roll out the early iterations of what could be the best thing to happen to phones since the cell tower.