Sunday, December 30, 2012

Ever Wondered How Internet Telephony is Regulated?

By Saul Saresi


It's been a while coming, but ever since all fifty US states were pre-empted by the FCC (Federal Communication Commission) back in 2004 from regulating Vonage, the Voip world has been counting the days until the regulations are changed

For the past few years the Voice over IP world has seen more and more regulations creeping in, to the point where 2012 now looks certain to be the busiest year of regulatory changes yet.

Many believe that the regulatory crackdown started when the 'Interconnected Voip Service' regulations were introduced, resulting in any provider of this service being hit with a melee of FCC regulatory requirements similar to the regulations governing standard phone services.

In 2012 the US Congress further signalled their intentions to codify the contribution duties of interconnected as well as non-interconnected Voip providers with the introduction of the '21st Century Video and Communications Act'.

The term 'Interconnected Voip Service' was originally defined by the FCC in 2004 in three main parts; (a) it requires a broadband connection from the users' location, (b) it enables real-time, two-way voice communications, and (c) it requires internet protocol-compatible customer premises equipment.

In the years since this definition, the FCC has been debating whether it should be updated to allow for changes in technology, such as specifying an 'internet connection' as opposed to a 'broadband connection' and 'connectivity' as the ability to connect calls to U.S. E.164 numbers instead of PSTN.

The debate over Voice Over Internet Technology shows no signs of slowing up and looks set to continue for the foreseeable future as the technology behind internet telephony continues to increase and the definitions thereof will be placed under ever closer inspection and scrutiny.

But despite a potentially uncertain future regarding how the systems are regulated, one thing is for sure; this technology is not going away. So do yourself a favour and choose a service provider that has a proven track record and is ITSPA registered such as VoIPDito.




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