From: m.britton@comcast.net
Sent: Tuesday, December 02, 2003 11:14 AM
To: voipforum
Subject: Regulating Voice over IP Services

The news has reported:

FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein said it is wrong for Internet calls not to be treated the same as conventional phone calls for provision of 911 emergency services, paying into the universal service fund or helping law enforcement track calls.

"Fundamental public interest considerations are at stake," Adelstein said. "Such 'hands off' treatment could mean we are undercutting the safety of consumers, law enforcement and national security, and the integrity of the underlying network and the universal service funding mechanism."

It sounds like the FCCs mind is already made up. Now, let's look at some of the issues (I'm a technology professional who not only has more than a passing knowledge of this subject but also uses one of the VOIP providers):

First, how do you differentiate between VOIP calls made using a standard POTS phone connected to an interface box and a VOIP call made between two PCs with people using headsets (for example, using the SKYPE software)?

Second, how does the use of VOIP undercut "underlying network"? It looks, more to the point, that the commissioner is concerned about the universal service funding mechanism.

As far as law enforcement, national security, etc., people using one of the prevailing IM mechanisms are as likely to conduct terrorist activity.

More to the point, if VOIP is regulated, why not regulate IM, web browsing, and any other Internet-related activity where people can communicate? Will the FCC now decide to surcharge my use of email services, instant messaging, and similar activity? From the perspective of data packets, there is NO difference in what is being transmitted; like a digital modem (cable modem or DSL modem), the hardware that connects a POTS phone to the Internet converts the voice signal to digital data, transmits it over the internet, and converts the digital data back to voice. So, why not regulate every form of data transmitted over the internet?

I'm sure that the traditional phone companies have some influence on the FCC in this decision; it's to their benefit to level the playing field, and this is far simpler than them having to invest dollars in innovative, inexpensive telecommunication solutions. I wish the FCC would be pro-consumer rather than pro-business.

Michael J. Britton
Chicago, Illinois