WebProNews spoke with former Congressman and Internet Innovation Alliance Honorary Chairman Rick Boucher about these questions and others, who gave us his perspective on the companies. Congressman Boucher supported the merger, as he told us in a prior interview, because he believed it would bring innovation, help the economy, and produce jobs.

He told us that, although AT&T would not be able to complete its goals in the same time frame it would have if the deal had gone through, he believed it could still meet them. The Congressman also said T-Mobile was a strong company, and he believed it would remain a player in the mobile industry. However, its biggest challenge will be gaining the capital it needs to deploy 4G.

Even though he thinks the companies will bounce back from this hurdle, Congressman Boucher told us that the mobile industry, consumers, and the economy would be impacted long-term.

What’s your prediction for the future of AT&T and T-Mobile? Let us know in the comments.

Jim Lakely, the Co-Director of the Center for Digital Economy at The Heartland Institute, disagrees with this way of thinking. He believes that the deal will go through for a variety of reasons.

For starters, he told WebProNews that the marketplace is actually more competitive than people think. Although consumers are primarily drawn to the bigger players like AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint, there are smaller providers such as Leap Wireless and U.S. Cellular that serve as competition as well.

A lot of people are also opposed to the deal out of fear of price increases. Because the wireless marketplace is so “customer-sensitive,” Lakely doesn’t think this would be problem. If prices did go up, he said customers would move to another provider, which is not what AT&T or T-Mobile would want.

He believes the biggest benefit of the merger would be the development of 4G for consumers. By combining the talents and assets of each company, he said that 4G would be available to more people quicker.

What are your thoughts on the merger?

Google Voice is said to be a competitive threat to voice services that already come with the iPhone. Industry analysts have also said that AT&T is likely concerned that its company could lose revenue as a result of Google Voice services.

The FCC is looking into the matter as part of its continuing investigation regarding wireless open access and handset exclusivity. The letters also seek to find out if AT&T had any input in the decision to reject Google Voice.

Ironically, Google CEO Eric Schmidt announced his resignation from Apple’s board Monday, August 3. Although his resignation came just days after the FCC’s investigation began, the FTC had already been investigating ties between the companies and whether they were breaking antitrust laws.

What will become of the FCC’s investigation? How will it impact Apple’s iPhone? Was the timing of Eric Schmidt’s resignation simply a coincidence? Will these proceedings affect Google and Apple’s cordial relationship?

WebProNews got the inside scoop on the new product from Larry Fox, the AT&T Director of Sales for Central and Eastern Kentucky. He shared with us several of the top features of the device including the two that are the most talked about: speed and video. The iPhone 3G S is said to be two times faster than the 3G. With the video capability, users can shoot, edit, and share their video straight from their device. Other features include:

-    3-Megapixel Camera
-    Voice Control
-    Compass
-    Cut, Copy, and Paste
-    Landscape Keyboard
-    Messages
-    Search
-    Accessibility for the Visually and Hearing Impaired
-    Internet Tethering
-    Voice Memos
-    Stocks
-    YouTube

Interestingly enough, the iPhone 3G is gaining almost as much attention as the new release. Upon the announcement of the iPhone 3G S, Apple also reduced the price of the iPhone 3G to $99. So, you can get the 32-gigabyte iPhone 3G S for $299, the 16-gigabyte iPhone 3G S for $199 dollars, or the iPhone 3G for $99.

When we spoke with Larry this morning, he said inventory was tight, but they did have some devices still available. If you hurry out to get one of the new iPhones, feel free to get me one too!

Ask.com product manager Ryan Massie thinks his company has the formula for success when it comes to the local search market. Massie told attendees at the Kelsey Group’s ‘Drilling Down on Local’ conference, “When someone comes to that search box and we give them exactly what we want–the right result, the right content, take them to the right page–they’re going to come back. That’s success.” Ask launched their local search product, Ask City, earlier this year.

Long running technology journal InfoWorld will come to an end in the world of print. Publisher IDG will focus on InfoWorld’s online version as well as events they will host. InfoWorld.com vice president Virginia Hines said on the site the move would, “remove the distraction of maintaining and fretting over a costly, nearly obsolete distribution channel.” The print version ends in April.

Viacom general counsel Michael Fricklas said YouTube is not protected by the DMCA when it comes to copyright infringement. Fricklas said in a Washington Post op-ed piece that DMCA safe harbor provisions are “not available to someone who ‘derives a financial benefit’ from copyrighted material he stores if he has the “right and ability to control” it.” Viacom is suing YouTube and Google for one billion dollars over infringement.