Google extends Voice party line

The Internet giant today said it will start allowing more people to use its Google Voice call management app.

“As a token of appreciation for all of the feedback our users have been sharing over the past few months, today we’re going to start giving Google Voice users invitations to share with friends and family. Over the next few weeks, each Google Voice user will receive three invites to distribute to whomever they choose,” a Google spokeswoman told *InternetNews.com*.

Prior to [today’s news](http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/10/invite-friend-to-google-voice.html), Google Voice, which manages a user’s calls under one number, among other services, was only available to a limited pool of users.

The move to expand the Google Voice user base comes as the app becomes more controversial — most recently as the subject of an [FCC inquiry](/government/article.php/3843176/FCC+Asks+for+Answers+About+Google+Voice.htm) over how it routes calls to rural areas.

[AT&T helped prompt the latest FCC investigation](/mobility/article.php/3843096/Lawmakers+Call+for+FCC+Probe+Into+Google+Voice.htm), charging that Google should adhere to the same common carrier laws as the wireless networks.

Meanwhile, AT&T, Google and Apple were all asked by the FCC to file documents explaining their respective roles in Apple’s decision not to include Google Voice in its App Store. That resulted with Google claiming Apple rejected Google Voice outright, while the iPhone maker said it was still reviewing the application. AT&T played no part in the decision.