TELECOM Digest OnLine - Sorted: FCC Regulations Over Vonage "DigitalVoice" and Other VoIP Providers

FCC Regulations Over Vonage "DigitalVoice" and Other VoIP Providers

Raqueeb Hassan (wideangle@gmail.com)
1 May 2006 10:17:43 -0700

Hello,

I was reading some of the FCC regulations on Vonage, where
"DigitalVoice" were exempted from traditional state public utility
regulation and this service cannot be branded as regular telephone
service. The FCC has already exempted another company (I guess,
Pulver) from state regulations because of the fact that free calls are
routed entirely over the Internet and never interconnect with the
PSTN. With a broadband connection, the service's members talk with
each other computer-to-computer.

As I was browsing through older Google cache, the then "DigitalVoice"
service could connect PSTN. Now, does that mean people still can
connect to regular phone lines from Vonage's DigitalVoice or other
packages? Even if their calls traverse to PSTN from Vonage's VoIP
network, are not they certified as regular Telephone Company or not
requiring the telephone licensing?

I went over to the Vonage site, but they don't seem like offering
"DigitalVoice" anymore, did they change their branded package to some
newer names? What are the biggest challenges Vonage expect after that
Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) order?

TIA

Raqueeb Hassan
Bangladesh

-snip-

------------------- FCC News ---------------- November 9, 2004

"Commission Clears Way for Increased Investment In VoIP Services Like
Vonages"

Washington, D.C. The Federal Communications Commission declared today
that a type of Internet telephony service offered by Vonage Holdings
Corp. called DigitalVoice is not subject to traditional state public
utility regulation.

-snip-

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