Costa Rica May Criminalize VoIP

chia_monkey writes "Here's an interesting little tidbit about the 'free' Internet. Seems Costa Rica may make it a crime to make Internet-based phone calls. It would be a shame if this sets a precedent of setting legistlation that would seriously stunt the growth of these emerging technologies that should be making communication cheaper and easier, not harder and illegal."

Comments

it's not yet

[coolcold]

criminalize....it's just the telecom company wants to criminalize it but somehow i think it would be interesting to see how they argue on their point

Belarus

[totierne]

I think someone was up on charges in Belarus, I think they got fined, maybe I should search slashdot for a reference...

http://www.boingboing.net/2004/10/19/belarus_bus ts _americ.html

Re:Maybe the real reason?

[Anonymous Coward]

If they are affraid to loose money they should raise taxes and get rid of the monopoly on telephone services. That would provide the nessecary fundings for hospitals and schools.

Egypt did it first

[Chris Kamel]

Actually I'm very ashamed to say that if there's one thing we've led the world in, it is this one. It is currently illegal to provide VoIP services, because the telephone company is government owned and they make loads of money off international phone calls. Heard rumours that this may change sometime in the future though...

About Costa Rica

[qwasty]

OK, everyone seems to have some wrong ideas about what kind of country Costa Rica is, so here's a little info from someone who's actually lived there.

CR is not communist, or poverty stricken. It is in fact the most stable and economically successful latin american country, yes, it beats Mexico and Brazil as well.

Most Costa Ricans have cellphones, and DSL internet access either at home, a library, or in the neighborhood internet cafe.

The country is democratic, and very pro-technology. Many US technology companies have moved there because of the pro-technology/pro-capitalism attitude of the government.

The economy is very efficient, and it runs an American-style government on only a 13% tax base. What this means for the individuals who live there is that instead of two people in a family working 50+ hours a week to make a living, one person in a Costa Rican can make a living.

Most Costa Ricans make about $12 per day. Doesn't sound like a lot, but since the public transportation is well designed, no one needs cars. Cars are still a status symbol, however, just like everywhere else. Costa Ricans can afford (with some saving) a car, a house, a cellphone, DSL at home, a vacation to the USA, and pretty much everything else that most people think of as common in a first world country, all on $12 per day.

The country became a first world country only during the last 10 years, and although it's doing amazingly well, the job market is still catching up to the population size, especially in rural areas. The cities are where the jobs are. And most of the business owners are foreign, americans and europeans. More europeans than americans since americans for some reason don't understand what's going on around them.

Americans go to Costa Rica mostly for prostitution, so the people they encounter like to encourage their notions so that it makes the Americans feel superior, and looser with their money.

CR's economy is the fastest growing one in the america's. No small business owner I met had been in the country for more than 5 years, and every one of them had become millionaires (USD) in that time with their restaurants, hostels, construction companies, computer companies, etc.

Things have changed a bit since I've been there, but instead of imagining marxist rebels with AK-47's, imagine people in business suits with laptops and briefcases.

Any other questions, just ask.

Re:About Costa Rica

[Politburo]

The country became a first world country only during the last 10 years

That's odd. The Cold War has been over for 10+ years.

First, Second and Third world designations are NOT economic designations! They were used during the Cold War to describe the various alliances and blocs. The "First World" was the US/Western Europe and anyone allied with them. The "Second World" was USSR/East Europe and sometimes China. The "Third World" was everyone else. Since most poorer nations had their own problems to worry about, they did not get involved in the Cold War and were designated Third World countries. This led to the incorrect assumption that Third World = poor, First World = rich, and somewhere along the way Second World just got dropped.

Re:About Costa Rica

[amontiel]

This is such an ignorant comment. I AM A COSTA RICAN citizen, and I worked there for Acer and Intel before moving to Europe. I know about the state of technological penetration in the country and what qwasty says here is just a bunch of uninformed facts. DSL at home??? Tell that to ALL of my friends there who have been trying for years to even get a decent ISDN connection at home. DSL is not even available to the general public yet. The so called "Advanced Internet" project has been delayed for 3 years now and it is not until last week, that the Costa Rican Institute of Electricity (ICE in Spanish) finished installing the routers to start selling DSL access at prices that are prohibitive to the general population. They will start offering a 128/64 Kbps line for $28/month and YES that is a 128/64Kbps line for that price. The Costa Rica you describe does not sound like the same place where I was born and raised and where I lived for 30 years of my life and which I visited again just recently. Efficient economy and public transportation? REALLY? Please tell me where did you travel in the country so I can move there. I won't even reply to the business ownership stupidity or to the prostitution bit. Now, about the reason for this move by the ICE. The only reason behind this is that Costa Rican telecommunications are a state monopoly (yes, a la MS) and what the ICE is trying to do is either define VoIP as a value-added service and regulate it or have it declared illegal. If you are going to post half-assed information, at least try to be objective about it. For those who can read Spanish, here is an article from La Nacion Costa Rica's largest newspaper, describing the situation. Basically, all they are afraid of is losing the profit from international phone calls, and because all telecommunications use public infrastructure, they would like to be able to regulate it or control it completely. Anyway, please do some research or reading before you post such crap. Better yet, take a plane and go to Costa Rica for real. It might enlighten you a bit.

Re:About Costa Rica

[Ninja Programmer]

Let me preface this by saying I was recently on a 3-week vacation in Costa Rica where I got to see a lot of the country.

Most Costa Ricans have cellphones, and DSL internet access either at home, a library, or in the neighborhood internet cafe.

You are smoking crack. I saw very few cellphones in this country -- even in San Jose (the most metropolitain city I visited). Internet in the home is way over the pay scale of most Costa Ricans. In San Jose, broadband does exist, but you pay for it. In most other cities, its basically at dial-up speeds, and internet cafes are the only way anyone could afford to access the internet at all.

The economy is very efficient, and it runs an American-style government on only a 13% tax base. What this means for the individuals who live there is that instead of two people in a family working 50+ hours a week to make a living, one person in a Costa Rican can make a living.

I didn't get a real sense for the domestic working schedules of people in Costa Rica, but in San Jose, we were renting a room from a cottage run exclusively by women. The economy in Costa Rica is majorly subsidized by Intel which has a very large plant down there, and the whole "Eco-tourism" craze. Us stupid foreigners pay $2000 a pop to go watch common every day animals climb up what to us look like exotic palm trees and what they consider house plants. Other than that, Del Monte and Dole have basically split the country into halves and are selling fruits from the plentiful fertile soil that Costa Rica has. Oh yeah, and they sell some coffee there too.

Most Costa Ricans make about $12 per day.

Uhh ... this varies quite a *lot*. There's no way in hell people in San Jose only make $12 a day. Its less than americans, but it aint no $12. Cab/Bus rides, food, trinkets, hotels, etc -- in San Jose, they are probably at about 50% of american salaries.

In other inland cities like MonteVerde, of course, things are very different and you very well might be correct. We were in a really nice hotel that cost us like $15 per person.

But the Costal cities which are so heavily subsidized by tourism, these guys are not living on the cheap; that's for sure (these are $100 rooms, $20 meals, etc).

Doesn't sound like a lot, but since the public transportation is well designed, no one needs cars.

This is nonsense. In San Jose, people had cars just as much as americans do -- and the jaywalking ettiquette is quite different. :) In other cities this varied, but the only real limiting factor in car ownership, that I noticed, was whether or not the city had paved roads.

a vacation to the USA,

Perhaps for the more well to do Costa Ricans, but I don't see what possible motivation any Costa Rican would have for visiting the US. We've got crappy food, useless beaches, the most horrendously egotistical tourist attractions, and we wouldn't even *try* to speak spanish to give them directions.

Americans go to Costa Rica mostly for prostitution, so the people they encounter like to encourage their notions so that it makes the Americans feel superior, and looser with their money.

Uhh ... not *THIS* american! Costa Rica is a major tourist country even without the "eco-tourism". They've got beaches on BOTH oceans. Some are very suitable great surfing. The number of tours you can go to are practically uncountable -- the amount of wildlife, both plant and animals I saw in such a short amount of time was probably more than I've ever seen in my life. In an open air restaurant, we saw a sloth climbing up a tree that wasn't even part of any tour!

There was a warning at the airport about child prostitution, but that's all I noticed. There certainly didn't seem to be a lot of open rampant prostitution, but maybe we just didn't go to the right places.

Dude, I think your view of Costa Rica is extremely skewed. This is obvious from the fact that you don't even recognize just how varied the country is.

Already the case here.

[Minupla]

In Antigua it's already illegal. Cable and Wireless pushed through a law making it illegal. When you sign up for ISP service, you have to agree not to do it, along with the usual AUP.

Min

Re:Already the case here.

[Jason H. Smith]

Same situation in Thailand.

Re:Good luck...

[iztaru]

It depends of the new law.

In this moment is aready ilegal to use the ICE's data network for VoIP trafic because it competes with the ICE's voice network (ICE has a monopoly on voice trafic). However, the problem is not the personal use of it, the problem begins when you want to profit on it, because it would be unfair competence:

1. You pay a personal connection to the internet.
2. You set a business of international phone calls.
3. You are using the ICE's network for something that is not allowed according your contract.

The problem here is that the ICE is a monopoly and you cannot select any other ISP, but in normal conditions, any company is allow to stablish the conditions of use for its resources.

Words of a Costa Rica citizen

[rquesada]

I was born in Costa Rica and live there (here, indeed) since then... The problem in general is this, there is a big company called the Costarican Electricity Institute (ICE in spanish), it is run by the government and some of their achievments is that thanks to their founders, this was the sencond country in the world with electricity (One-two years later of New York's street lamps innaguration).

That company holds all the permissions to grant electricity, phone and internet access, and in fact, one of the biggest income is that of telephony, especially international calls.

What they are seeking is to be the only provider of VoIP, not to make it illegal at all, but provide the service and ban or send to jail any company that tries to use internet to send voice packets without a contrat with them, in that case even using Skype can cost you a few days at a prison, the only way to use VoIP is to ask them for a service, yet unavailable, and who knows for how long.

The same has happened with what they call "Advanced Internet" (Basically, ADSL access), they have some sort of pilot program with a few thousan d connections, but the real service will start later this year, whereas in other contries I had seen that optic fiber is beign installed around...

As a summary, we are giving one step ahead and two back in every bureocratic decision, mostly thanks to our government corruption (Heck, we have two former presidents in jail... and precisely for corruption among cellular phone providers contracts and "awards" upon their selection).

The situation is not as nice as the other big comment about Costa Rica, yes, we have not had any civil war or battle with our next countries in about fifty seven years, but there's a lot of delinquence, our streets suck (No more than a hundred meters without a volcanic crater in middle of the street).

But in the pretty hand, we are becoming a sort of "Sillicon Tropical Rainforest", there is an Intel facility at a few minutes from my home, Sun is planning to come here, and there's a lot of other companies that open operation centers around, yes, Microsoft is one of them, and recently donated a full equipped lab to my college, ITCR, before that, the ITCR was a loyal FOSS advocate... :'(

Also there are a lot of natural and beatiful places from beaches to volcanoes, and rain forests in between, we have no army (Remember "Fahrenheit 9/11"?), and the most important thing for the 99% of the population is to have a nice ringtone and that the Costa Rica soccer team get to the World Cup... So, it's very easy for an outsider with great ideas to come here, build a business and get profit as almost no "tico" (As we call ourselves) want to complicate it's live so much just to get a fancy phone... So good luck foreign investors, and you are welcome!!!

Telkom - yes!!!

[sapped]

Good old Telkom has already declared this illegal in south Africa.

For those of you that don't know the situation; Telkom is the only landline provider in South Africa, but also handily makes the rules deciding who can do what with any telecommunication business. Neat huh?

OK, I'm Costa Rican, Here's the Deal:

[CharAznable]

First of all, let's clear some things:

• Costa Rica has no army, just a police force and border guard.
• There is no death penalty. Drunk drivers don't get shot, just gang-raped in jail by other inmates.
• There is one telco, called ICE, and it's a state monopoly.
• Said telco offers excellent local phone service and cheap cellular lines, but incredibly crappy internet access. At least they have DSL and cable, but all my dad can get is 512k down, 128k up.

So what's happening is that there is a constitutionally mandated monopoly on telecommunications. What's happening that a bunch of old farts, the kind that have no fucking clue and are holding the country back, are figuring that VoiP would technically be in violation of said monopoly.
To be honest, it's amazing that there is such a big software industry in Costa Rica, considering that internet access is so crappy and regulated. A lot of people are trying to challenge the ICE monopoly, but it's hard going against the old guard. That's what Costa Rican nerds have to put up with.

Re:reasons americans go to costa rica

[thetejon]

I guess I didn't spend enough time in San Jose. If you really want Americans in Costa Rica, try Playa Tamarindo in Guanacaste. There are plenty there surfing and drinking.

Re:Great news from impoverished island...

[mindstrm]

Okay, first:

Costa Rica is NOT an island.

Second: It's not at all impoverished, in fact it's flourishing.

For many years, the state owned infrstructure did benefit society. Cellular and telephone rates are affordable at local prices, if you can obtain them. Now, it's a make-work project, inefficient, top-heavy, and on the edge of being privatised.

Re:Look before you leap

[AtariAmarok]

"In Latin America in general the lesson on geography is North America (canada, US and mexico) Central America (guatemala down to panama) South America (from panama border all the way down)"

The problem with that is confusion. It is fine to call a region Central America, as there is not already something with that name. However, there have been continents named North America and South America for a very long time (even before "Central America" was distinguished). Why call a region North America when this region is a mere subset of the continent that already has this name?

There is a region named used which is "Anglo America" which could be used for US and Canada, but as you can see it leaves out Mexico.

"has dissapeared I am glad I got rid of my school books, apparently they are all "wrong" now"

They were indeed wrong if the mistakenly included the region of Central America as a distinct continent. The word continent means something, and having a "distintive history" is not part of it. This is why Europe, more and more, is considered to be part of the continent of Eurasia.

Where do we find such a map that has CA as its own continent? Something that world geographers ignore? Do Iberians (Spain and Portugal) also have odd textbooks that make Iberia a separate continent even though no-one else recognizes it as such?

"I am a NORTH American..........next time I travel to the US I will say that to the INS agent and see what he says about that"

Go to images.google.com and find one of the many maps which shows what the continents are, and print it out. Flap it in his face. If he insists that you are not from North America, he is probably one of those dumb "United Statesians" who thinks that New Mexico is a separate country from the USA.

Here is yet another nice map of continents.