My Rural ISP offers VOIP service and starts blocking Vonage

Posts: 28 · Vonage Forum Junior Joined: Jul 10, 2004 Posts: 28

I've been using Vonage for 2 years on a Comcast account in the city and on a small rural ISP that uses land based wireless for distribution.

Last week my Vonage box would not log on through the rural ISP after 2 years of no troubles. I called the rural ISP yesterday and learned they now offer VOIP service and are blocking Vonage ports. I was told the Vonage ports could be unblocked by paying them an additional fee.

Is this an example of what the "net neutrality" debate is about?

Charlie

Posts: 1123 · Vonage Forum **MVM** Joined: May 26, 2005 Posts: 1123

If they told you that, that's plain and simple illegal in today's terms and I would QUICKLY call, email, Pony Express the FCC. Intentional blocking in the U.S. is not allowed, and if they told you that, go to town on them. If you don't want to for fear of retribution, give us all the details and I'm sure someone would be happy to turn in an anonymous tip.

http://www.fcc.gov/contacts.html

Posts: 28 · Vonage Forum Junior Joined: Jul 10, 2004 Posts: 28

This morning I got a call from the ISP that was blocking vonage and was told they have unblocked vonage, at least for my account. I don't know what internal politics brought about that change of heart.

I haven't tested to see if there is truely a fix. That will have to wait until I get back to that location.

Posts: 21

charliep3 wrote:

I've been using Vonage for 2 years on a Comcast account in the city and on a small rural ISP that uses land based wireless for distribution.

Last week my Vonage box would not log on through the rural ISP after 2 years of no troubles. I called the rural ISP yesterday and learned they now offer VOIP service and are blocking Vonage ports. I was told the Vonage ports could be unblocked by paying them an additional fee.

Is this an example of what the "net neutrality" debate is about?

Charlie

You are absolutely right about what the net neutrality issues and it is only going to get worse when the big guys get their way!

Posts: 28 · Vonage Forum Junior Joined: Jul 10, 2004 Posts: 28

There is going to be a lot of temptation to restrict some services to favor others if the law allows that. An ISP could make a cash deal with MSN search engine in return for blocking google or may be the ISP owner doesn't like the Democrats so he blocks access to a bunch of websites.

I was thinking about dropping some phone services where there is cable modem service, in favor of vonage, but what if the cable company blocks vonage in favor of their own phone service? This ineeds to be clarified in the law. If this is net neutrality it's got to be addressed by Congress.