FCC Insists Feds Should Regulate VoIP

prostoalex writes "FCC Chairman Michael Powell insists federal officials should be the only ones regulating VoIP, as trusting the Internet phone regulations to states would result in patchwork of conflicting legislature. Powell is a strong proponent of VoIP (and a Skype user), and considers it the technology that ignites (not competes with) telecom industry. Research shows that fewer than 1 mln Americans use VoIP today, but that's expected to increase 12x by 2009."

Comments

Fuck regulation!

[Digital Avatar]

"FCC Chairman Michael Powell insists federal officials should be the only ones regulating VoIP, as trusting the Internet phone regulations to states would result in patchwork of conflicting legislature.

Here's a better idea: STOP REGULATING BUSINESSES TO DEATH! VoIP doesn't need regulation. This is nothing more than a cheap attempt by POTS providers to secure their cash cow by regulating the competition to death.

Re:Fuck regulation!

[slimyrubber]

Here's a better idea: STOP REGULATING BUSINESSES TO DEATH! VoIP doesn't need regulation. This is nothing more than a cheap attempt by POTS providers to secure their cash cow by regulating the competition to death.

The regulations arent just about money, they are also about control. Once you start controlling information, you become extremely powerful. I bet agencies like mpaa and riaa are really pissed that internet had very little government control to begin with.. and they are really trying to change that whether its really working or not.

Re:Fuck regulation!

[prostoalex]

Here's a better idea: STOP REGULATING BUSINESSES TO DEATH! VoIP doesn't need regulation.

But then if Comcast launches its own VOIP operator, as they have been rumored to do, and your Vonage/Packet8 calls suddenly experience worse than expected quality of service and inexplicable drops and hiccups, who will you appeal to, but the good ole US gov?

Re:Fuck regulation!

[prostoalex]

Read up Lawrence Lessig. While the telephone networks (and hence DSL lines) are considered to be public service, cable lines are the property of the cable operator.

Comcast, Adelphia and others did not use the public money to build it, so they do not have to give up control over it. With the broadband rush 5 years ago the ISPs around the States sued the cable companies to open up access for providing ISP services to the residential. No cigar - the cable lines are the property of the cable company, you only have control over your dollars (that you choose to give them or deny them), you do not have control over their content.

Comcast can do whatever they please.

To FCC or not to FCC

[Gr8Apes]

What a conundrum. On this score, I'd have to agree that if anyone is to regulate the VoIP market, it should be at the federal level. I actually agree with his statement that otherwise you'd get a patchwork of regs, which would be bad.

On the other hand, this is the same FCC that hasn't moved an inch on Sinclair's intended abuse of the airwaves, is working incredibly hard to remove that "obscene" breast (that'd be the same breast most babies see multiple times a day!) from TV, and does other sundry things.

Re:To FCC or not to FCC

[Saeger]

If seeing a tit on TV causes moral decay, as you blindly believe, why hasn't Europe descended into barbarism with rapes left and right, etc.? They've got more primetime Tits & Ass in the media over there than violence, and the U.S. is just the opposite.

Could it be that sexual freedom isn't a BAD thing at all? That is, unless you're a religious control freak getting bitter with age.

--

Regulate?

[Hatta]

Why should anyone regulate VOIP? If I'm streaming bits from my computer to my friends computer across the country, what business of the government is it if it's voice or anything else. How are they even going to know?

Re:Regulate?

[NoMoreNicksLeft]

911 emergency service access, primarily. Most other justifications are kinda flaky, though.

Interesting and contradicting.

[Leykis101]

Michael Powell is the son of Colin Powell. As We all know that Colin Powell is the current Secretary of State under George W. Bush Administration. A Republican Administration.

Michael Powell is a registered Republican.

Interestingly, the GOP always preaching to have a smaller government and regulate the industry less.

Now, it seems that FCC, with a Republican Chairman is pushing an un-Republican agenda.

There is a really interesting article on msn.com regarding Michael Powell, The son of Colin Powell, the FCC Chairman.
http://slate.msn.com/id/2078879/

Makes you wonder.

Howard Stern is right!

-------

eventually

[divot2001]

Of course the VoIP infrastructure should be regulated by the federal government; when it has a larger portion of the market and the technology has matured. In the meantime, regulation by the states would only explore alternatives for when it eventually becomes necessary to enact federal statutes. And the communications industry will continue to impede the development of VoIP, since it is cheaper to only lobby one group of officials.

Re: FCC Insists Feds Should Regulate VoIP

[c1ay]

I really don't see why it should be regulated at all. Once the voice is digitized it becomes data packets like all of the other data packets traveling the web. What's the point in government regulating voice data packets? Sounds to me like the government providing insurance to the phone companies to protect their rackets like long distance. Kind of like the health insurance the mob used to sell, pay up and you'll stay healthy.

Re:Federal regulation + Corporate direction =

[Smoodo]

If regulation happens a certain firm with cash may jump in and say "REGULATE ME PLEASE!!!" because they are closer to conforming with whatever regulations will be passed. This will create a barrier to entry for small guys because they can't afford to comply. Goodbye competition.

This happened with the Tabacco companies. Let's see what happens here.

Their job was to create and protect monopolies

[billstewart]

The FCC's original job was partly to eliminate unregulated competition for the radio spectrum, ostensibly in the name of "protecting" the public's commons from interference, but in reality protecting the power of the early corporate interests who grabbed lots of spectrum, and regulating the content of speech you were allowed to broadcast. There were better alternatives - letting the market evolve formal or informal property rights, which happened in many places before government takeovers, and happened in Italy during much of the 80s and 90s when radio stations basically ignored the regulators but got along fine with each other. There were also worse alternatives - too many governments totally nationalized their airwaves, taking control away from the public and giving it to government propaganda stations. (Some of those produced some high quality material, like the BBC, but that was largely the exception.)

Additionally, they became the Federal regulators of the interstate aspects of the telephone monopolies, though those had already become largely state-regulated because the "regulated monopoly" tradeoff of exclusive power to offer a service in return for politically correct implementation and pricing is basically a geographical monopoly at the local scale.

Much of the New Deal really worked that way - trading off favors for regulation while telling the public that they were beating up the evil nasty monopolies.

Re:12x that #? why?

[zentec]

1. Yes, those who are less than technically savvy are going to be very wary of it. So they'll spend $15 per month for a Voicepulse account and keep the landline. For a couple months, until they realize that $15 buys the essentially the same thing they're paying some ILEC $50 when they could be paying a VoIP provider a lot less.

Money talks.

2. How so? VoIP requires an analog telephone adapter that plugs into your existing corded and cordless phones. They all work great. And here's something that'll make your hair stand on end and a lot of people on Slashdot just can't seem to grasp about VoIP; you'll need a VoIP provider for a very long time because a large percentage of the world will still be on the circuit switched POTS network.

So while the concept of point-to-point VoIP calls over the Internet is sexy, it's likely your calls to grandma will still need a POTS line somewhere. So when the rest of the world catches up to you, enjoy your ATA and your plain old telephones.

3. You obviously do not have a family with teenagers. My monthly home telephone minutes are in excess of 800 minutes. $15 on Voicepulse gets me half of my state as a local phone call and 200 minutes of long distance. I don't think any cell provider could touch that.

yawn

[Doc Ruby]

The FCC is looking for any justification to perpetuate its political power. With technology advances and concentration of corporate broadcast ownership, both of which further the agenda of Republicans like Chairman Powell, they need to secure other bases for their control. The old "less government for more people" rhetoric is classic Republican smokescreen for more government. And Powell is playing right according to the playbook.

typical

[Wansu]

This is consistent with all the other stuff Powell has done. He's a corporate welfare handout man. He just can't wait to get his hands on VoIP. Oh, the power brokering leverage that would give him. This little caesar is the reason we don't have fiber to the curb today. No sooner did he liquidate the RF spectrum then he's ready to cannabalize the internet too. He's gotta go.