From editor@telecom-digest.org Mon Nov 8 15:33:28 2004 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p3/8.11.6) id iA8KXR205929; Mon, 8 Nov 2004 15:33:28 -0500 (EST) Date: Mon, 8 Nov 2004 15:33:28 -0500 (EST) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200411082033.iA8KXR205929@massis.lcs.mit.edu> X-Authentication-Warning: massis.lcs.mit.edu: ptownson set sender to editor@telecom-digest.org using -f To: ptownson Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V23 #535 TELECOM Digest Mon, 8 Nov 2004 15:33:00 EST Volume 23 : Issue 535 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson File-Sharing Thrives Under Radar (Monty Solomon) Handsome New Phone by Motorola Is Skinny, Sleek -- Expensive (Solomon) Starting Dialgic From Command Line (Ruchit Garg) Case Sends Tough Message on Spam (Lisa Minter) Mitel SX2000 Ring Back (Benm) Portable Keyboard for Blackberry 7230 (SebDech) Does Vonage Service Work Like SBC? (Zylan) Re: HELP: Vonage Problem After Installation (Luv post) Re: Internet Without Landline? (Robert Bonomi) Re: New Electronic Check Law Sinks 'Float' (David Clayton) Re: New Electronic Check Law Sinks 'Float' (DevilsPGD) Re: List of All Handphones From Major Manufacturers (Steve Sobol) Employment Opportunity: Support Engineer - Telecom-Singapore (jobs) Re: "We're From the Government"; NSA Recs on Securing Mac (Justin Time) Handicapped Parking Spaces was Re: New Electronic Check Law (palee) Hands Off VoIP, Feds Likely to Tell State Regulators (Lisa Minter) All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. =========================== Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk are definitely unwelcome. We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands against crime. Geoffrey Welsh =========================== See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 8 Nov 2004 01:53:23 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: File-Sharing Thrives Under Radar Reuters 10:27 AM Nov. 06, 2004 PT LONDON -- A file-sharing program called BitTorrent has become a behemoth, devouring more than a third of the internet's bandwidth, and Hollywood's copyright cops are taking notice. For those who know where to look, there's a wealth of content, both legal -- such as hip-hop from the Beastie Boys and video game promos -- and illicit, including a wide range of TV shows, computer games and movies. Average users are taking advantage of the software's ability to cheaply spread files around the internet. For example, when comedian Jon Stewart made an incendiary appearance on CNN's political talk show Crossfire, thousands used BitTorrent to share the much-discussed video segment. Even as lawsuits from music companies have driven people away from peer-to-peer programs like KaZaa, BitTorrent has thus far avoided the ire of groups such as the Motion Picture Association of America. But as BitTorrent's popularity grows, the service could become a target for copyright lawsuits. According to British web analysis firm CacheLogic, BitTorrent accounts for an astounding 35 percent of all the traffic on the Internet -- more than all other peer-to-peer programs combined -- and dwarfs mainstream traffic like web pages. http://www.wired.com/news/digiwood/0,1412,65625,00.html ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 8 Nov 2004 02:20:35 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Handsome New Phone by Motorola Is Skinny, Sleek -- and Expensive By WALTER S. MOSSBERG Cellphones have gotten smaller and smaller over the years, and they are crammed with more "features" than most people will ever use. But, in general, their designs have been uninspired. There hasn't been an iconic cellphone to rival such triumphs as the iPod music player, the classic Palm V organizer, or even some of the most beautiful digital cameras. But I've been testing a gorgeous new cellphone that sets a new design standard. It's the thinnest, sleekest flip phone I've ever seen, yet it doesn't compromise on features. And it comes from Motorola, a company that, until recently, seemed lost in the digital woods, unable to compete with the likes of Nokia and Samsung. This bold new phone is called the RAZR V3, although it is known among cellphone devotees as simply the "Razor." It will go on sale from Cingular Wireless on Nov. 15. The Razor is Motorola's best design statement since the company's pioneering StarTAC flip phone, back in 1996, and Motorola has some other interesting new phones on the way. http://ptech.wsj.com/archive/ptech-20041104.html ------------------------------ From: ruchitgarg@yahoo.com (ruchit garg) Subject: Starting Dialgic From Command Line Date: 7 Nov 2004 23:11:40 -0800 Organization: http://groups.google.com Hi all, I wish to start Dialogic board from a command line script ... how can I do that. I have JCT 120 analog board. ruchit garg ------------------------------ From: Lisa Minter Subject: Case Sends Tough Message on Spam Date: Mon, 8 Nov 2004 11:27:52 EST From a nondescript house in a neighboring state, Jeremy Jaynes and his sister raked in more than $24million with fake Internet offers of penny-stock tickers, non-existent FedEx refunds, cheap drugs and pornography. They did it by flooding millions of gullible Internet users with junk e-mails known as spam. Indeed, Jaynes was ranked among the top 10 spammers in the world. But last week Jaynes' schemes fell victim to what government officials and anti-spam groups hope will become an increasingly effective weapon against Internet fraud: hefty doses of jail time. Using a new state anti-spam law considered the toughest in the United States, a Virginia jury convicted North Carolina residents Jaynes, 30, and Jessica DeGroot of sending untraceable junk e-mails to millions of customers of America Online, which is based in northern Virginia. It was the first conviction under the law, the first in the nation to make it a felony to send large numbers of fraudulent, unsolicited e-mail messages. In a state that is home to some of the nation's largest Internet service providers, the jury's decision was a milestone in another way: It made it likely that Jaynes will serve substantial prison time. The trial judge will not impose sentence until February, but the jury recommended 9 years. DeGroot, 28, who was found to have played only a supporting role, was fined $7,500. A third defendant was acquitted. Jaynes' lawyer is contesting the prosecutions. Although building legal cases against spammers and bringing them to court can be difficult given the global nature of the Internet, state officials and anti-spam advocates hope this case and others in the works will reverberate beyond the mid-Atlantic region -- much the way high-profile legal action put a crimp in the downloading of pirated music from the Internet. "These convictions and the prison sentence for kingpin spammer Jaynes send a resounding message from Virginia to spammers around the world," said Richard Campbell, deputy attorney general for the commonwealth. "If you defraud individuals and encumber ISPs with illegal spam, there are consequences." Combating spam has confounded government and private-sector officials for years. Despite hundreds of lawsuits and many federal and state laws, the e-mails now account for 70 percent of all e-mail traffic, according to some anti-spam organizations; others claim 85 percent is a more realistic amount of the traffic. It's a lucrative business for spammers. Jaynes forged Internet addresses and used confidential e-mail directories stolen from AOL and other Internet providers to peddle his usually phony products. In one month alone he received 10,000 credit card orders for $39.95 each, according to the prosecution. Anti-spam organizations and law-enforcement officials see prosecution as a key element in the fight, along with more consumer education. *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. This Internet discussion group is making it available without profit to group members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of literary, educational, political, and economic issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. I believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner, in this instance, Chicago Tribune Company. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ------------------------------ From: benm@rifton.com (Benm) Subject: Mitel SX2000 Ring Back Date: 8 Nov 2004 07:36:15 -0800 Organization: http://groups.google.com I have a Mitel SX2000 and on several of my extensions, random ring backs are being set. This is especially affecting one of my extensions (extn: 269) , and that extension most often has a ring back set on a certain other extension (extn: 266). This is occuring even when neither phones have been used for hours. The code for ringback on my system is 3. Has anyone had similar problems before or can anyone suggest a solution? I've tied a different port on a different ONS card. ------------------------------ From: dechamps@caritas.va (SebDech) Subject: Portable Keyboard for Blackberry 7230 Date: 8 Nov 2004 01:02:14 -0800 Organization: http://groups.google.com Hello! Has anyone heard about the possibility to have a portable extra keyboard for the Blackberry 7230? There is a company (Flexis) making such keyboards for other Blackberries, but for 7230 I haven't found anything so far. Thank you in advance, Sebastien ------------------------------ From: zcarenow@yahoo.com (Zylan) Subject: Does Vonage Service work Like SBC? Date: 7 Nov 2004 18:02:52 -0800 Organization: http://groups.google.com I have SBC and I can go to any room in my house that has a phone jack and plug in my phones and it will work. My understanding from what I've read is that Vonage works by having you plug the phone cable into their Vonage device and plug the other end to your phone. Now how will this allow me to talk to someone from a phone in my master bedroom as opposed to another room with a phone jack. Thanks in advance. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: The answer is yes and no. YES it will work if it is wired up correctly, but NO, it will not work and may well fry your Vonage adapter if it accidentally comes in contact with the SBC (or for that matter, any telco) lines. Telephones do send various amounts of voltage down the line; frequently it is very benign to human beings who happen to touch the wires, but it and the voltage coming out of/going into a telephone adapter for VOIP do *not* get along. Make positively sure the lines from telco are totally isolated at the demarc (point of entry into your house) from your house wiring before you extend your Vonage adapter around the house through other connector boxes, etc. Read the message in this issue, some email correspondence I have had with another guy who 'just assumed' the wiring in his house was correct and found out the Vonage adapter box did not like it at all. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 6 Nov 2004 21:11:27 PST From: Luv post Subject: Re: HELP: Vonage problem after installation [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Do you recall a message here last week sent by a man who had just recently got Vonage service and had hooked it up so the output from Vonage went to a telephone jack in his house? Then when he went around his house, he expected to be able to use the Vonage, and he *mostly* could. But on his incoming calls there was a hassle: Vonage would ring once, then there would be dead silence. He wondered 'what is wrong with the Vonage box?' I told him nothing was wrong with the Vonage box except you may have fried it by mixing it with your telephone lines, and I strongly urged him to **disconnect it immediatly** until he got the puzzle in his house wires cleared up, and to test the Vonage adapter by plugging a phone into it *alone*, making sure if it did or did not work before complaining to Vonage (he had opened a trouble ticket with them). That is where we left off last week here. He and I had some additional correspondence in email over the weekend, and it follows now. PAT] He then replied: > The Vonage box(Linksys router) is ok. I can call out(outgoing) with no > problem. It is when someone calls me that i get one ring and then > silence. I can also surf the net with no problem thru the Linksys > router. So it must be something else going on. I left an email with > Vonage Tech support, but still awaiting their response. Any other > suggestions? Thanks. I had noted here last week: >> TELECOM Digest Editor wrote:Whatever >> you do, *** get that Vonage adapter box disconnected from the >> telephone line immediatly ***. NEVER hook a Vonage adapter box into a >> phone outlet _until all phone lines are disconnected at the demarc or >> the main terminal where they come into your house_. >> That will probably fry the Vonage box totally, and if it has not >> yet, I would be quite surprised. The reason your phone rings one >> time then goes dead is due to this problem. Stop right now and >> make sure Vonage and your telephone line do NOT see or come in >> contact with each other. They obviously are somewhere in your >> house. Then he responded further in email: Pat, Plugging the phone cord directly from phone set to Vonage box works just fine for incoming and outgoing. Problem has been when i plug a phone cord from my study den wall jack to Vonage box, i can't seem to get incoming calls from any of my other rooms and kitchen wall jacks My entire is pre-wired by my homebuilder with analog wall jacks(numbered 2a, 2b, etc.) throughout the house. Initially, I had plugged the phone cord from my 4a jack(Study den) to the Vonage box directly. It worked fine for incoming and outgoing. Then I thought why not use the phone jacks in my other rooms and kitchen. Doesn't make sense to have to go to the Study Den everytime I get a call. That's why I put phones in the other rooms and one in the kitchen. Thus, other family members can pick up incoming calls depending on where they are in the house. It rings once in those locations for incoming calls. So I think that the wiring in my house is something that I need to look at. Can you point me the right direction in where to look or start? Thanks. Mike I responded: A sure sign of a short somewhere on the line is when the phone rings *ONCE* (or maybe half a ring) then dead silence. *Something* in the Vonage box is making it think there has been an answer when there has not been. That 'something' is a couple of wires somewhere in your home system barely, occassionally touching. Not all the time, just when there is a spark or a wee bit of connectivity. This condition is NOT helping the electronics in your Vonage box at all. If ONE phone, connected directly to the Vonage box works okay for incoming calls, then the trouble is in your house wiring. If it still does not work okay, then there is something wrong with the Vonage box (a) either it was bad when it got there or (more likely) (b) the abuse it has already suffered being directly connected for some period of time directly to the house phone wiring has fried it. First, please try it as I suggested, lets pin down where the trouble lies. PAT [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: He says he finally tried my suggestion, (Vonage TA direct on a short cord to a single phone); lo and behold it all worked just fine. I told him good, at least you did not fry the adapter box electronics. **LEAVE IT THAT WAY UNTIL YOUR HOUSE WIRING GETS ORGANIZED**. And he said he would. But he kept objecting at first: the person who put in his phone lines put in two pairs (a) and (b) and the (telco) phone worked okay, etc. But I explained to him that (as far as I know) Vonage runs their phone on the first pair (in a cable with two pairs) just as telco does. So at the very least, you are going to have to trick Vonage into being happy with the second pair (normally the yellow/black) wires. But you start by going to the demarc and pulling down the pair from the telco central office to start with; *no* live telco service at all. When that's done, then if you wish, plug the Vonage into some outlet somewhere and go about your premises to each phone and see if in fact Vonage is at each of them. If you get Vonage at each location where you had earlier been hearing telco, then much of your trouble is over. At least your (a) pair and (b) pair are correct everywhere. Now you are going to need to get **two line phones** everywhere you want Vonage _and_ telco to both appear. And you still have telco totally disconnected at the demarc, right? Just leave it alone for now. Stay away from that demarc! Now you have your **two line phones** everywhere you want them, and Vonage is happily providing dial tone and ringing on one of the two *line appearances* everywhere. The other line appearance at the phone instrument is dead of course, you disconnected telco at the demarc earlier. And I would not press my luck with more than three appearances of the Vonage line. (We refer to that as 'REM 3' sometimes. That's the amount of voltage the Vonage adapter puts out, to ring up to three bells or electronic chirps at one time. Maybe four ringers if you are still detirmined to fry the adapter box (and then blame it all on Vonage tech support) as you were when we started this project. Now it is time to reconnect the central office. Go to the demarc and listen to the two pairs out there. Probably the red/green wires which is most likely (a). If you hear Vonage on those two wires, put them aside. Take the two wires from the central office and attach them to the idle pair (most likely yellow/black -- (b) of your house wires.) Now go back inside your house and see if both line appearances work at each phone. On the one line appearance should be Vonage; on the other line appearance (or 'pair') should be telco. By the way, when you go to Radio Shack or wherever to get the two line phones, *do not* let the clerk talk you into buying more expensive 'electronic phones' with six or eight wires coming out of them. That's just grief you (and I) don't need, trying to get all that properly wired. I know one person here in town who has his Vonage line show up on line 4 or line 5 of a six-button (five line with hold) type phone. I would not wish that sort of nightmare on anyone who was not a telephony genius which I am not. If you want a more elegant set of instructions than what I can give here, I suggest you look at: How to Distribute VoIP Throughout a Home: http://michigantelephone.mi.org/distribute.html which is Jack Decker's offering on this topic. And to you guys eager to install Vonage or some other kind of VOIP, good luck! Oh! I still offer Vonage e-coupons to people who want to check out this new phone system. You send me a note marked 'not for pub' in the subject line, and request a coupon. You have to get the adapter box through me (Vonage drop ships my orders) and you have to pay for a month of service in advance. Whatever kind of service you sign up for, Vonage then gives you a second month of the same service totally free. PAT] ------------------------------ Organization: Robert Bonomi Consulting Subject: Re: Internet Without Landline? From: bonomi@host122.r-bonomi.com (Robert Bonomi) Date: Sun, 07 Nov 2004 21:28:07 +0000 In article , Markus Dehmann wrote: > Is it possible to get high-speed internet access without a > phone/landline at home (in Maryland/U.S.)? > I only have a cell phone, but internet at home would be good, too. I > don't need a landline, though because the cell phone is enough. > Thanks! > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Yes, it is not only possible, but > for many folks more desirable. You get your high speed internet from > the cable company there in Maryland and otherwise use your cell phone > for voice calls. That's essentially what many folks do, or they have > a very inexpensive landline phone from a CLEC as a backup only. PAT] If you order _SDSL_ service, it always comes on a separate pair. *ordering* can be an 'interesting time' (in the sense of Chinese _curse_ :), but it can be done. Depending on locale -- and I have _NOT_ researched the specific case of Maryland -- ADSL on it's own pair *may* also be available; where available it is typically $5-10/mo more than 'shared' ADSL (piggy-backed on a POTS line). 'dry pair' ADSL is becoming more common than it was a year or two ago. Visiting the 'dslreports.com' website, and using a next-door neighbor's phone number, _will_ get you a list of providers and service options that are available at your location. When actually ordering, the order usually has to go up the food-chain *several* layers, between the DSL provider and the ILEC. The situation I ran into, the DSL provider's computer system would -not- accept the order _without_ some sort of a 'phone number' for location, while the _phone_company_ (ILEC) computer would not accept the order *with* a phone number (it -knew- there was no phone service at that location). *PEOPLE* had to actually get involved from the DSL provider, in placing _their_ order with the phone company. When the install was actually done, the DSL 'field technician' was _really_ puzzled, cuz his paperwork showed a 'site phone number' of "000-0000". [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: What you say is all well and good, but why should someone have to go to all that trouble of arguing and pleading with telco to get them to sell you service when you could just go to your cable company and have them turn it on the same day? And regardless of what you say about SDSL service, Southwestern Bell Telephone (now known as SBC) **will not** sell it to you without taking 'regular' phone service as well. I think it is against their religion or something. They do it only in California where a court ordered them to do so. Forget it elsewhere from SBC. People who want high speed internet up and running in a hurry just go to their cable company. PAT] ------------------------------ From: David Clayton Subject: Re: New Electronic Check Law Sinks 'Float' Date: Mon, 08 Nov 2004 17:02:58 +1100 Joseph contributed the following: > On Thu, 04 Nov 2004 22:12:49 -0700, DevilsPGD > wrote: >> And sometimes I park, in handicapped spaces, >> While handicapped people, make handicapped faces! > Was this supposed to be humourous? I found it quite repulsive that > you would deny someone with a handicap a space that was reserved for > them. > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I didn't think it was very funny either. > PAT] It's from a Dennis Leary (sp?) song: "I'm an asshole!" Regards, David Clayton, e-mail: dcstar@XYZ.myrealbox.com Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. (Remove the "XYZ." to reply) Dilbert's words of wisdom #18: Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level then beat you with experience. ------------------------------ From: DevilsPGD Subject: Re: New Electronic Check Law Sinks 'Float' Date: Sat, 06 Nov 2004 20:13:15 -0700 Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com In message Joseph wrote: >> And sometimes I park, in handicapped spaces, >> While handicapped people, make handicapped faces! > Was this supposed to be humourous? I found it quite repulsive that > you would deny someone with a handicap a space that was reserved for > them. It's a Dennis Leary quote ... Do not taunt zombie badgers ------------------------------ From: Steve Sobol Subject: Re: List of All Handphones From Major Manufacturers Date: Sat, 06 Nov 2004 20:59:27 -0800 Organization: Glorb Internet Services, http://www.glorb.com Anonymous Netter wrote: > Hi everyone, > I am trying to compile a product comparison list for all currently > available handphones (cellphones) especially for GSM models. Try http://www.phonescoop.com/ I don't know how close you'll get to the details you need, but there's a ton of good information on that site. JustThe.net Internet & New Media Services, http://JustThe.net/ Steven J. Sobol, Geek In Charge / 888.480.4NET (4638) / sjsobol@JustThe.net PGP Key available from your friendly local key server (0xE3AE35ED) Apple Valley, California Nothing scares me anymore. I have three kids. ------------------------------ From: jobs@peopleassociates.com Date: Mon, 8 Nov 2004 16:51:39 +0800 Subject: Employment Opportunity: Support Engineer - Telecom (Singapore) We are an international Information Technology (IT) company, with focus in providing Software Solutions, Software Products/tools, Software Consultancy and Out Sourcing. We are URGENTLY looking for the following resources for our client in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Position : Support Engineer - Telecom Location : Singapore Duration : One year -extendable Start Date : ASAP The experience/background required for support engineer are as follow: 1. Experience with mobile operators an advantage. 2. Knowledge of mobile roaming preferred. 3. Knowledge of Sun Solaris UNIX, Oracle, SS7, C/C++/Java required. 4. Candidate must possess at least a Diploma and preferably a degree in Computer Science/IT/Electronic Engineering. 5. Good communication and customer relation skills 6. Good spoken and written English required. 7. Willing to standby 7x24 required Interested, please send your resume to jobs@peopleassociates.com with your expected salary -- (pls give some figure) and earliest joining time. ------------------------------ From: a_user2000@yahoo.com (Justin Time) Subject: Re: "We're From the Government..."; NSA Recs on Securing Mac OS X Date: 8 Nov 2004 06:57:38 -0800 Organization: http://groups.google.com Danny Burstein wrote in message news:: > Yes, that NSA: > Title: > How to Securely Install and Use Apple Computer Inc.'s Mac OS X > Version 10.3.x Operating System (Panther) > 109 pages; PDF > http://www.nsa.gov/snac/os/applemac/osx_client_final_v.1.pdf But it took them at least 30 more pages to make guesses about that other common proprietary operating system -- the one from Redmond Wa. with the longest running beta test in history. Rodgers Platt ------------------------------ From: palee@riteaid.com Date: Mon, 8 Nov 2004 10:15:47 EST SUBJECT: Re: Handicapped Spaces [was 'New Electronic Check Law...'] In TELECOM Digest V23 #534, Joseph wrote (in part): > DevilsPGD wrote: >> And sometimes I park, in handicapped spaces, >> While handicapped people, make handicapped faces! > Was this supposed to be humourous? I found it quite > repulsive that you would deny someone with a handicap a space > that was reserved for them. I've always believed that only handicapped people park in handicapped spaces. Some are physically challenged, while the others are emotionally and socially challenged. (And then there are those who believe it's their prerogative to park in a reserved space, simply because they are driving a vehicle with a placard or tag, even when no one with a physical disability is using or riding in the vehicle.) Paul A Lee Sr Telecom Engineer Rite Aid Corporation HL-IS-COM (Telecomm) V: +1 717 730-8355 30 Hunter Lane, Camp Hill, PA 17011-2410 F: +1 717 975-3789 P.O. Box 3165, Harrisburg, PA 17105-3165 W: +1 717 805-6208 ------------------------------ From: Lisa Minter Date: Mon, 08 Nov 2004 11:27:27 -0500 Subject: Hands Off VoIP, Feds Likely to Tell State Regulators Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/10126946.htm By John Woolfolk Mercury News Federal authorities Tuesday are poised to declare Internet phone service off-limits to state regulators. Providers call the move critical to the fast-growing industry's development, but consumer advocates fear it will unfairly burden those who place calls the old-fashioned way. New Jersey-based Vonage, a leader in the field of Web-based phoning known as Voice over Internet Protocol or VoIP, has asked the Federal Communications Commission to declare it an interstate information service exempt from state regulation. "The decision before the FCC is critical, and very serious," said Bruce P. Mehlman, a director of the Internet Innovation Alliance, a trade group favoring light regulation. "The question for regulators is: Do we treat it like telecommunications, taxing it and regulating it heavily, or like information technology, keeping our hands off and letting market-based innovation benefit everyone?" Internet calling hooks standard phones to an adapter and broadband connection. The adapter converts the voice signal to data packets and sends them over the Internet to a service provider, where they are converted back and sent on the traditional phone network to the recipient. The FCC decision is important for Silicon Valley, home to many VoIP providers and companies involved in the technology, said California Public Utilities Commissioner Susan Kennedy. "It's very important that the FCC establish a uniform national framework in which VoIP can be allowed to thrive," Kennedy said. Consumer advocates say exempting VoIP from state regulation and treating it as an information service more like e-mail lets providers avoid paying for the traditional public switched phone network -- even though they still use it to complete their calls. [Jack Decker Comment: Makes you wonder where some of these so-called "consumer advocates" are getting their funding, doesn't it? If they wanted to take the high road, they could advocate that all these additional taxes and fees be abolished on all forms of communications. But some of these "consumer advocates" are getting paid to advocate on issues related to the PSTN, and if the the PSTN diminishes in importance, so do they. Full story at: http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/10126946.htm ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, Yahoo Groups, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. 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