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Vonage Did You guys see this!
FCC Bans Blocking
August 8, 2005
While much
Did You guys see this!
FCC Bans Blocking
August 8, 2005
While much of the reaction to Friday’s U.S. Federal Communications Commission ruling has been focused on ISPs, a policy statement issued as part of the commission’s deregulation of DSL services could add much-needed legal protection for Voip carriers such as Vonage and Skype.
The FCC issued a statement that it does not want the newly freed DSL providers and cable operators to use their total control of their networks to interfere with the access rights of direct competitors such as Voip providers.
A policy statement does not have the legal teeth of a rule, but it does put telecommunications carriers and cable operators on notice that there are still aspects of broadband services delivery in which the FCC reserves the right to meddle.
“We need a watchful eye to ensure that network providers do not become Internet gatekeepers, with the ability to dictate who can use the Internet and for what purpose,” said Michael J. Copps, one of two democrats on the FCC panel. “Consumers do not want to be told that they cannot use their DSL line for Voip, for streaming video, to access a particular news web site, or to play on a particular company’s game machine.”
Commissioner Copps also said he would have preferred a rule rather than a policy statement, which even the chairman said was unenforceable.
“With violations of our policy, I will take the next step and push for commission action,” he said. “A line has been drawn in the sand. I am particularly appreciative of the chairman’s support of this item.”
Vonage Reaction
Chris Murray, Vonage’s vice president of government affairs, said his company was pleased with the policy statement but, like Commissioner Copps, wished the FCC had gone further. According to Mr. Murray, the business of Internet neutrality will become an even bigger issue when video transport, with its multiplicity of still-emerging standards, becomes more prevalent.
“The overall calculus is that [the statement] was worthwhile,” said Mr. Murray. “Even if it’s not an enforceable rule, it sets the commission’s rudder in a specific direction. There will be some dust that has to settle, and I believe there will be a test case down the road—hopefully a good one.”
Vonage has had some problems with carriers. Subscribers in Mexico have complained that Telmex, the dominant Mexican carrier, has unfairly blocked their service.
Last March, the FCC entered a consent decree with Madison River Communications, a carrier based in Mebane, North Carolina, to end an investigation into complaints that the company blocked ports used for Voip applications. The FCC also fined Madison River.
“The blocking problems can be overt or subtle, but the marketplace wants predictability,” said Mr. Murray. “VCs want to know that the product or service they are investing in can get to the marketplace without blocking.”
8)
Read The Full Thread: Is my ISP blocking my VOIP?
• I have had Vonage service since April 2005, and up until now the service has been
• where do you live? and what do you mean by "blockage"?
• I live in Monrovia, CA.
There is a 100% packet loss and the latency jumps through
• Holy cow.. I have the exact same problem and my provider is also Champion Broadband.
• It is almost impossible to get a supervisor on the line, (asleep at the wheel),
• Funny mine started the same time, Monday August 1st, and I too have the PAP2, but
• Hi Chatter: Which supervisor said that they are aware of the problem.. the Vonage
• [font=Arial:f1acb43eb5] I just got off the phone with a Vonage Tech and it is important
• Our cable companies modems are DOCSIS 1.1, which Vonage said was compliant. We
• The Champion Broadband supervisor, said they were having problems with two servers.
Homebrew posted "Did You guys see this!
FCC Bans Blocking
August 8, 2005
While much" on 08/09/2005 |
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