http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=109&STORY=/www/story/11-09-2004/0002399032&STORY&EDATE=
Pulver.com Encouraged by FCC Acknowledgement That Nomadic VoIP Service
Not Subject to State Economic Regulation
Vonage Order Was Next Logical Step in FCC's Approach to VoIP
MELVILLE, N.Y., Nov. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- The following may be
attributed to Jeff Pulver, CEO of pulver.com regarding today's FCC
decision asserting preempting state jurisdiction over certain nomadic
VoIP services:
"In the world's first regulatory statement freeing VoIP
communications from legacy telecom regulation, the FCC ruled last
February that pulver.com's computer-to-computer Free World Dialup
service was an unregulated information service. The pulver Order was
a great first step to ensure that pure peer-to- peer VoIP services are
not subjected to legacy regulations. The Vonage Order is the next
logical step to ensure that VoIP services that look like more
traditional telecom services are not subjected to a cumbersome,
patchwork of state regulations."
"We are encouraged by the FCC's decision preempting states from
imposing economic regulations on nomadic VoIP services. Today's
decision was essential to allow the IP-based communications industry
to develop and flourish free from traditional telecommunications
regulation and to ensure that a hodge- podge of archaic telecom
regulations do not stifle the nascent IP-based communications
industry."
"Every sector of the high tech and communications industries,
including capital markets, has been watching to see how rules are set
for this potentially explosive technology, one that holds tremendous
promise not only for communications innovation, but also for the
global economy."
"Certainly, the Commission should not subject IP-based
communications to a set of archaic regulations that were designed and
kluged together over the years to patch together a disparate array of
technologies and services. The disruptive emergence of IP-based
communications essentially compels the Commission, the States and
every regulatory authority around the globe to rethink the patchwork
of disparate, illogical and irreconcilable regulations."
"The Commission must next resolve the lingering intercarrier
compensation and universal service proceedings, particularly to ensure
that IP-based communications providers are not dragged into existing
regulatory schemes that so desperately need to be reformed. The
conclusions and rules that will result from these proceedings will
greatly affect the future of all IP-based communications, including
the speed of deployment, consumer and enterprise adoption and ubiquity
of IP-based communications."
"Regulators and the IP-based communications industry need to think
creatively about how to protect consumers in a new communications
environment. pulver.com and many members of the IP-based
communications community are committed to achieving the social good
through industry-based solutions that do not unnecessarily subject
industry to regulatory and other governmental intrusion. To that end,
in fact, pulver.com has established the Global IP Alliance, an
international organization committed to advancing IP-based
communications and resolving the commercial, technical, operational
and social issues confronting the world-wide IP communications
community."
"VoIP is 'disruptive communications' in the most positive sense.
IP-based communications allow for 'open' solutions, with no barriers
to entry and no relation to geography. IP-based communications are
capable of empowering users to control their own communications
experience. There, however, is a real danger in regarding VoIP simply
as a cheaper way to provide voice service. That is NOT VoIP. It is
incumbent upon all us to ensure that it does not get relegated to the
world of black rotary phones, but truly the becomes the communications
of the future."
About Pulver.com
Jeff Pulver is the President and CEO of pulver.com, and one of the
true pioneers of the Internet telephony/VoIP industry. Mr. Pulver is a
globally renowned thought leader, author and entrepreneur. He is the
publisher of The Pulver Report and VON magazine, and creator of the
industry standard Voice on the Net (VON) conferences. Additionally,
Mr. Pulver is the founder of Free World Dialup (FWD), the VON
coalition, LibreTel, WHP Wireless, pulverinnovations, Digisip, and is
the co-founder of VoIP provider, Vonage.
Recently, Mr. Pulver's petition for clarification declaring Free World
Dialup as an unregulated information service was granted by the
Federal Communications Commission (FCC). This landmark decision by the
FCC, now referred to as "the Pulver decision", was the first decision
made by the FCC on IP communications, and provides important
clarification that computer-to-computer VoIP service is not a
telecommunications service. For more information, please visit
http://www.pulver.com
Lisa Minter (lisa_minter2001@yahoo.com)