The Federal Communications Commission (FCC (News - Alert)) has been pretty busy over the past few months. It all started when FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler published a blog in November 2013 detailing the organization’s newfound commitment to completing a full IP transition starting in 2014.

“Our communications networks are changing – and fast,” Wheeler wrote, adding that “the impacts on networks have already begun and will be profound.” He specifically mentions how communications protocols are moving from TDM to IP.

“The way forward is to encourage technological change while preserving the attributes of network services that customers have come to expect,” Wheeler wrote.

The FCC is now making the first of these many technological changes after recently granting approval for AT&T (News - Alert) to conduct tests for a transition to an IP-based phone system. This is the first major step being taken to advance the U.S. to a fully IP-centric country.