F.C.C. to Seek Net Telephone Oversight

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

F.C.C. to Seek Net Telephone Oversight

October 19, 2004
 By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS





Filed at 7:24 p.m. ET

BOSTON (AP) -- FCC Chairman Michael Powell said Tuesday
that he would seek broad regulatory authority for the
federal government over Internet-based telephone services
to avoid stifling the emerging market.

Powell told a receptive audience at an industry conference
that letting states regulate Voice over Internet
Protocol,or VoIP, services would lead to a patchwork of
conflicting rules like those which have ensnarled the
traditional phone business for decades.

To do so, Powell said, ``is to dumb down the Internet back
to the limited vision of government officials. That would
be a tragedy.''

After his speech, Powell told reporters he expected to
introduce a proposal to the full Federal Communications
Commission in less than a month, and definitely before a
new Congress begins its session in January.

``We cannot avoid this question any longer,'' he said. ``It
is very likely that treatment of VOIP will have some of the
farthest reaching consequences of anything this commission
has done or will do.''

Powell, whose office has been petitioned by Republican
members of Congress to take action on the jurisdiction
question, spoke two weeks before a presidential election
that could jeopardize his position as FCC chairman.

The Republican was appointed to the commission by President
Clinton in 1997 and became chairman when President Bush
took office in 2001.

Powell cited a study by a research firm, The Yankee Group,
that projects 1 million VoIP subscribers nationwide by
year's end, compared with just 131,000 last year.

The technology ``has ignited a fire under a stalled and
depressed industry,'' Powell said, referring to traditional
landline phone carriers.

Powell, who reiterated his belief in minimal regulation of
VoIP services, said questions of its taxation and
connectivity to 911 emergency assistance are best left to
the federal government because the technology erodes
geographic barriers.

Such barriers have led to a complex framework of
regulations governing local and long-distance service for
traditional landline phones.

While some issues involving voice quality and consumer
accessibility remain to be worked out, VoIP service
threatens to eventually overtake landline services by
piggybacking on the existing, low-cost technology platform
used for the Internet.

``There is no need to organize a regulatory regime around
permits and prices and costs as we have done for nearly a
century with common carriers,'' Powell added.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/technology/AP-Powell-Voice-over- 
Net.html?ex=1099262306&ei=1&en=09a1ef4ee1c83628


---------------------------------

Get Home Delivery of The New York Times Newspaper. Imagine
reading The New York Times any time & anywhere you like!
Leisurely catch up on events & expand your horizons. Enjoy
now for 50% off Home Delivery! Click here:

http://homedelivery.nytimes.com/HDS/SubscriptionT1.do? 
mode=SubscriptionT1&ExternalMediaCode=W24AF



HOW TO ADVERTISE
---------------------------------
For information on advertising in e-mail newsletters
or other creative advertising opportunities with The
New York Times on the Web, please contact
onlinesales () nytimes com or visit our online media
kit at http://www.nytimes.com/adinfo

For general information about NYTimes.com, write to
help () nytimes com.

Copyright 2004 The New York Times Company

-------------------------------------
You are subscribed as interesting-people () lists elistx com
To manage your subscription, go to
 http://v2.listbox.com/member/?listname=ip

Archives at: http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/