Joho the Blog: Is the VoIP fix in?

November 12, 2003

Is the VoIP fix in?

David Isenberg wonders out loud if the FCC has already made up its mind how to regulate Voice over IP and is rushing it through with only a show of open public comment.

VoIP is a huge threat to the existing telcos. Guess which way the FCC will lean if left to itself?

Posted by D. Weinberger at November 12, 2003 09:57 AM

TrackBack

Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Is the VoIP fix in?:

» The FCC's regulation of VoIP will make no difference in the long run from Grant Henninger
Many people have been talking about the death by regulation of VoIP. Using the internet as a phone system does threaten the existing telecos, and the FCC will try to regulate it to death. Especially this FCC, Chairman Powell has... [Read More]

Comments

Well depends ATT, MCI, and the CLECs have all supporter VoIP in meetings I have seen, but I'd bet the Baby Bell approach.

Posted by: Thomas | November 12, 2003 04:45 PM

VoIP is really one of those services where the free market could commoditize the service by providing a lot of alternatives if left unregulated. I'd love to be a family phone farm operator, breaking the sod on the virtual prairies and selling message units for micropayments! The savings in commuting and dry-cleaning expenses alone would make up for the relatively low income stream.

Here's a personal observation... the Baby Bells may already be on the ropes. I'm a week late with an $82 payment to SBC Ameritech. They're dunning me with collection calls! This has happened only twice before in my decades of shoddy book keeping. Once when MCI was on the ropes, and once when my cellular provider was in the process of being sold. Whether you're being sold or going into receivership, the need to tighten up on receivables drives this collection behavior.

(Of course, they could be afraid I'll flee without paying so they need to track me carefully as a slow-pay).

Posted by: fp | November 13, 2003 08:33 AM

I think that there is also the flip side to the coin. What kind of fair and equal playing field are we talking about if one company which provides the same "type" of service, (ie local phone service) gets taxed fees which are passed on to the consumer and another company which provides the same type of service does not? Of course, I am a bit biased, considered we sell phone service. But I do use VOIP at home, primarly for the purpose of testing out reliabilty, issues, etc.

Despite that, my biggest concern is not whether we tax, but what is the real benefit to the consumer? For instance, the USF fee does contribute to education and rural health care besides funding the 911 program. So do we let education suffer at the expense of a dollar off of our phone bill?

Posted by: ed at phone service . com | January 12, 2004 02:49 PM

VoIP would be a huge threat to the existing telcos only if they stay at where have been for 100 years. However, many carriers or telcos have already deployed VoIP tech in their backbone to reduct cost.

Posted by: ISolveSystems | February 20, 2004 12:54 PM

I saw that you are interested in VoIP or IP Telephony Technology.

I would like to invite you to blog and participate in VoIP forum and share the advertising revenue that we are making.

Please find out more here:

http://isolvesystems.com

http://isolvesystems.com/discussions/phpBB2/

Posted by: ISolveSystems | February 20, 2004 12:57 PM