Why VoIP Makes Telecom Regulations Irrelevant

An anonymous reader writes "BusinessWeek Online analyzes why state and federal regulators' attempts to label VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) a "telecommunications service" is wrong - and threatens to undermine the technology. It quotes Vint Cerf as saying: 'To single out VoIP as a telephone service is a terrible misunderstanding of the Internet industry. I would submit that, someday, the phrase Internet telephony will sound as archaic as 'horseless carriage' sounds today.'" We've also recently discussed Vonage's attempts to fight telecom regulation in Minnesota.

Poetic justice... please

[Empiric]

Moreover, according to AT&T, Sprint threatened to disconnect the circuits unless AT&T agreed to move all traffic onto paid-for-access service. When AT&T complained, Sprint resumed service but filed a billing dispute claiming that access fees apply whether the call is delivered over the Net or through copper wires.

Sprint disputes AT&T's account, saying the dropped calls were a "translation error" due in part to AT&T's desire to hide what it was doing. Either way, Sprint maintains that the calls should be subject to traditional access fees.

As someone on the other side against AT&T in the 80's over a law called "Avoidance of Toll Charges", I find this incredibly ironic. It seems arguable that AT&T is now a phone phreak.

Hey, AT&T... can I have my Commodore SX-64 portable back now?

voip is the future

[mOoZik]

This is just another attempt by the biggies of the industry cartel to control communication and control costs. IMO, it will prove unsuccessful, as VOIP relies on the fundamental technology of the web, which cannot be controlled by state or federal governments.

phrase origin

[L. VeGas]

the phrase Internet telephony will sound as archaic as 'horseless carriage' sounds today.

Well, we used to call it just "net phony", but people kept confusing it with dating services.

Re:Kapitalizm Rulez

[SquadBoy]

So the government should force me to pay for a system that I don't want or need so other people can use it?

No wonder I hate all of mankind.

Re:Different technology /= not a telephone

[sean23007]

I actually just terminated my phone service because I got tired of paying more in taxes than I was for the actual service. You want to talk to me? Fine. Email me. IM me. Meet me in my private IRC channel. Roger Wilco me.

You don't have a girlfriend, do you?

Re:Different technology /= not a telephone

[kfg]

"You don't have a girlfriend, do you?"

Wouldn't that tend to piss off my wife?

KFG