Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

FCC Fines Company for Blocking Access to VoIP

Posted by Zonk on from the strike-one dept.

peg0cjs writes "According to PCPro, the FCC has handed out a $15,000 fine to Madison River Communications Corp for blocking access to VoIP calls. The action is seen as a warning to other telcos not to prevent the growth of VoIP over their networks. The complaint was made to the FCC by two companies Vonage Holdings and Nuvio, which specialise in VoIP services. It appears that Vonage CEO Jeffrey Citron was willing to act on his earlier tirade about VoIP blocking." From the article: "The action is seen as a warning to other telcos not to prevent the growth of VoIP over their networks. Many of these companies see VoIP as a threat to their landline revenues as calls made over the internet can be made to anywhere in the world for the price of a local call."

7 of 294 comments (clear)

  1. 15 grand to a telco company... by tekiegreg · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Is something like me getting a $10 parking ticket, annoying but hardly worth acting on beyond mailing the puppy in...though I suppose the command to change policy as such will have an effect...

    --
    ...in bed
    1. Re:15 grand to a telco company... by Quasar1999 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      True, it's peanuts... but no one said it would stay at that low a fine... do it again, and we'll up the fine... just like with a kid, slap the wrists, then the ass, then nail them over the head with a frying pan... As a side note, I'm not a parent, so take my example with a grain of salt

      --

      ---
      Programming is like sex... Make one mistake and support it the rest of your life.
  2. FCC finally does right by kidgenius · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Good to see the FCC actually doing something that gives consumers choice. Now only if we could get them to drop the stupid broadcast flag.

  3. Re:Good by aesiamun · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Why?

    I am limited in my bandwidth from my provider. I can do whatever I want with that bandwidth, providing it's within the law and the agreement that I signed when I became a customer of my ISP.

    If I want high quality lower compressed telephone calls, and I'm not breaking any agreements, then i should be able to do that.

    I pay for this bandwidth, it's better that I make a call and use my bandwidth than become one of the many who are spending bandwidth trading kiddie porn.

  4. Only fools block VoIP by Jailbrekr · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The smart ones throttle back the quality of the connection. Thanks to the bursty nature of the internet, they can get away with making the quality total shit for 3rd party VoIP providers, while allcocating the necessary bandwidth and priority to their own VoIP services.

    --
    Feed the need: Digitaladdiction.net
  5. "Not" a big fine.... probably not true... by VE3ECM · · Score: 4, Insightful
    I don't know about you, but I've never heard of 'Madison River Communications Corp'...
    Sounds like a small fish in the pond. A 15K fine is definitely going to make them pay attention.

    And it's going to make the big players sit up and take notice.

    Think of this more as a "warning shot across the bow" than a slap on the wrist.

  6. Re:Hmm .dangerous precedent? by baudilus · · Score: 4, Insightful
    it's their bandwidth Vonage isn't paying for it

    But you, the consumer, are paying for that bandwidth. As a customer of Vonage, I can tell you that it's not even that much - 90kbps is the HIGHEST quality setting. If I'm paying the cable / telephone / ISP company for a certain amount of bandwidth, I should be able to use that bandwidth as I see fit, as long as it conforms with the customer agreement. As yet, I have not seen an agreement that says "I will not use VoIP services on this connection."

    You work for a phone company, I bet. or maybe a cable company...