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Vonage Fights Minnesota's Attempts To Regulate VoIP

Posted by timothy on from the buggy-whip-makers-tense dept.

rmccoy writes "Vonage said Thursday it intends to fight the first-ever decision by a U.S. state to regulate companies that provide Internet-based phone services. Minnesota's Public Utilities Commission unanimously decided two weeks ago that the New Jersey-based voice over IP (VoIP) provider is subject to the rules and regulations that cover traditional phone companies."

4 of 200 comments (clear)

  1. I hope they win. by H0NGK0NGPH00EY · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I'm a satisfied Vonage customer, and I have to say that I really enjoy having a "phone bill" that is completely straight forward. I'm on the $25.99/month plan, and our monthly bill contains less than $1 in taxes. LESS THAN A FREAKING DOLLAR. How cool is that?

    If the government starts getting their fingers in this business that is doing just fine competitively, you can bet that I'll start to see loads of fees and taxes being added onto my bill, turning my $27.00 monthly bill into something more like $40.00. And for what benefits? None.

    Go Vonage.

    Shameless refer-a-friend link to Vonage

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  2. Double Dipping taxes by Big+Ryan · · Score: 5, Interesting

    If you connect to the net via the phone company (DSL or modem), you are already paying these taxes. Vonage and other VOIP companies are simply providing a service over existing telecommunications infrastructure. If they tax VOIP, you will end up paying the tax twice.

  3. No, not fair enough by Spy+Hunter · · Score: 3, Interesting
    The phone company regulations have been written over the years to apply very specifically to companies that provide a switched copper wiring network densely covering a large geographical area, and now they want to apply them to companies that provide voice service over the Internet, and this is fair?!?

    It is rediculous to assume that because the service VoIP companies provide to consumers is similar to the service phone companies provide to consumers, the same regulations will work to govern them. In fact, why should VoIP be subject to regulation at all? The only reason I can think of is: if it is not regulated, it has the potential to destroy the market for traditional switched land-line service. But the question we should be asking is, is that a bad thing? Shouldn't we be moving toward a model where phone companies transform into bandwidth providers and voice communication service is provided over the same connection as everything else?

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    main(c,r){for(r=32;r;) printf(++c>31?c=!r--,"\n":c<r?" ":~c&r?" `":" #");}
  4. Re:Fair enough, no? by frovingslosh · · Score: 3, Interesting
    I mean, this isn't about just "voice over internet".... it's about a phone service that happens to use the net.

    Just the opposite. It's about data, and it's none of the state's business what my data is or what protocol I wrap it in. If they can regulate VoIP data then they could also regulate you capturing a wave file of your voice and sending it by FTP or as e-mail to a friend. And if they can do that then they might as well stick their fingers into everything you send or even everything you do with your computer.

    That's John Ashcroft and Homeland Security and Echelon's job, to snoop into every single corner of your life, not the state government's.

    --
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