Opinari.net
Opinari - Latin term for Opinion. Opinari.net is just what it seems: a cornucopia of rants, raves and poignant soliloquy. |
Tuesday, September 16, 2003
Now let me get this straight. The phone companies want to regulate VoIP (voice over internet) telephone service, even though it is a different technology than theirs, simply because it offers the same service. Yeah, OK.
This is a prime example of a government backed industry having zero leverage to get its hands on an emerging market, and demanding that the government force them to play by its rules.
VoIP is not a telecom service. It is an internet service. The issue here is that government programs that receive their subsidies directly from telecom taxation are in jeopardy without the compulsory payout that regulation offers. This is bad for bureaucrats, good for consumers. VoIP is cheaper than POTS (plain old telephone service), and it is becoming more efficient.
As long as bureaucrats remain willfully ignorant of reality, they will try to reach their tentacles into any service that can be exploited through some form of user fee or tax. VoIP is no exception. However, since the FCC has already ruled that cable broadband is beyond the scope of traditional telecom, there seems to be a precedent in favor of VoIP providers. Hopefully, the FCC will remain consistent, keeping the confiscatory hand of the telecom industry out of the pockets of VoIP companies.Labels: Archives_2003
.: posted by
Dave
10:10 AM
| |
Recommended Reading
|
