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Federal Appeals Court Sides With VoIP Providers

Posted by timothy on from the semantics-sometimes-important dept.

gollum123 writes "AP reports that the Eighth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld a ruling by a lower court that A Minnesota agency may not regulate calls through VoIP as it does calls through traditional phone lines. 'The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission had argued that VoIP companies were providing phone-like service and therefore should be regulated as phone companies are. But those businesses said they provide an information service rather than a telecommunications service. This follows the FCC saying that VOIP cannot be regulated using the same rules as traditional phone.'"

2 of 143 comments (clear)

  1. Wiretap by darth_MALL · · Score: 5, Interesting

    (disclaimer: this is not my area of expertise)
    How does this desicion affect the rights of law enforcement to 'tap' VOIP communications? Has it now placed them outside the scope of a traditional wiretap? Does a traditional wiretap now encompass data? If not, Having the FCC and two courts backing this would make it pretty difficult for the feds to work around I think.

  2. Re:This could be a bad thing. by Mattintosh · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The thing is, they're not utilities. They're providers. Utilities maintain wires. The big guys have been protecting their status as both utility and provider for a long time, but VoIP will end that once and for all. SBC will become a line utility, and the ISP will become a VoIP provider. Whether SBC will sell the general public a VoIP service is irrelevant. Someone will, and there will be competition.