Re: Vonage Hits ISP Resistance

["Jay R. Ashworth" <jra () baylink com>]

On Fri, Apr 01, 2005 at 01:58:07PM -0800, David Barak wrote:
> --- "Jay R. Ashworth" <jra () baylink com> wrote:
> > Actually, and I think the distinction is pertinent to this
> > discussion, if the car has no seatbelts, you can drive it just fine
> > -- as long as it came that way. You can't *sell* a car without
> > seatbelts, anymore.
>
> That may be the rule in Florida, but in DC, MD, and UT (the states in
> which I've lived in the past 2 decades), you can be be ticketed if you
> are driving a car and not wearing a seatbelt.

I'd have to check, but I believe the exemption for cars not originally
equipped in in the Federal Uniform Model Traffic Statues, which I think
the majority of states have adopted, at least in substantial part,
though IANAL.  

Nope: Maryland makes the exception:

http://mlis.state.md.us/cgi-win/web_statutes.exe?gtr&22-412.3

If it wasn't manufactured with belts, you're not required to install
them, but if they're there, you do have to wear them.  I rather suspect
the other jursidictions are similar.

> To make this a little bit more relevant to our VoIP/911 discussion,
> would we allow a startup car company to sell something which looked
> like a seatbelt, but was not crash rated above 5 mph? No, of course we
> wouldn't. Would that be anticompetitive? No, it just means that to be
> a startup car company, you have to meet the same safety standards as
> the existing car companies.

Indeed.

> If we want to take the analogy away from something which is a direct
> safety issue, the exact same argument applies to emissions standards.
> They're "standard" for a reason: they apply to everyone, and every car
> maker must comply. (SUVs are classified as trucks, and comply with the
> truck rules).

Actually, I believe most SUV's are *not* classified as light trucks,
with the exceptions of the Excursion and Hummer.

> Why would these arguments not apply to VoIP?

At this point, of course, I've lost track of what the argument is, in
the delightful littls side trips.  :-)

<pinch>

Cheers,
-- jra
-- 
Jay R. Ashworth                                                jra () baylink com
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