TELECOM Digest OnLine - Sorted: Re: Are ISPs Blocking VoIP Calls?

Re: Are ISPs Blocking VoIP Calls?

Tony P. (kd1s@nospamplease.cox.reallynospam.net)
Fri, 25 Feb 2005 19:30:58 -0500

In article <telecom24.84.10@telecom-digest.org>, hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com
says:

> Jack Decker wrote:

>> Internet telephony companies Vonage and Nuvio have turned to federal
>> authorities with their complaints that some broadband providers are
>> blocking or degrading their Voice over IP (define) services.
>> Last week, the Edison, N.J.-based Vonage confirmed it had met with the
>> Federal Communications Commission (FCC) about the problem, but
>> stressed today it had filed no formal complaint.

> Since VOIP went to great lengths to get unregulated status, I don't
> understand why they would have any standing with a regulatory agency.
> AFAIK, ISPs are not regulated either.

Please explain what they did to obtain non-regulated status. Their
infrastructure is most certainly regulated as they use Paetec and
Focal switches. What isn't' regulated is the last mile connections
that they use.

> It is my understanding a business can pick and choose what vendors it
> wants to carry and what customers it wants to serve. A supermarket
> can freely pick and choose what brands it sells; it is not compelled
> to give shelf space to every particular brand or every particular food
> out there. Supermarkets are free to give preference in terms of price
> and product placement of their own house brands, and not even carry
> competitors if they choose.

But if an ISP starts blocking other providers of a service, they're
practicing content management. Granted, they can do this so the
consumer should vote with their feet and ditch blocking ISP's.

> Accordingly, if an ISP wants to sell its own VOIP service, why should
> it be mandated to carry any others? The only factor would be customer
> acceptance.

> For VOIPS to go running crying to the FCC is hypocritical. They want
> free market when it suits them, but then regulation when they discover
> some aspects of the free market isn't to their liking.

Many aspects of regulation are an anachronism. IP is IP -- not circuit
switched. Once you get over that fact you see that it is a completely
different service.

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