VoIP Vs. Communication Regulations
April 10, 2013
By Robbie Pleasant, TMCnet Contributor
There’s a tight race in the realm of VoIP, with companies constantly struggling to become the top dog. In order to better help it keep its spot, AT&T is petitioning the FCC (News - Alert) to keep VoIP services mostly deregulated, as well as help companies better move customers from traditional phone lines to Voice over Internet Protocol.
Following January’s deregulation of VoIP by the Iowa Utilities Board, VoIP has been seeing more scrutiny in its context in all communications regulation. There’s little word on that at the moment, but comments are expected later in the year. The big issue, however, is AT&T’s (News - Alert) plan to move customers from public switched telephone networks to Internet-based phone services.
Should more telephone lines move from traditional networks to VoIP, some smaller companies are concerned that it will lack the wire-line maintenance and quality that is necessary to have quality Internet phone communication. Larger companies with more support for VoIP, however, have transitioned the vast majority of their networks to VoIP, yet are required to keep funding the older networks.
The main argument from those in support of deregulating VoIP is that deregulation leads to more innovation; AT&T’s proposal is designed to let telecom providers make more improvements and changes with less yellow tape to go around and less hoops to jump through.
On the opposing side, there are arguments that the entire idea of “traditional lines” versus the new VoIP is bunk, as they use the same lines as traditional phone services, but in different ways, which still puts it under the same regulations as any telephone network.
Whether VoIP will remain deregulated, or will be put under the same regulations as any other phone system will be resolved later this year, so if AT&T wants to make those deregulated innovations it’s speaking in favor of, it should get started now. No matter what regulations are or are not put in place, however, what matters the most is that people are provided the most convenient, quality form of communication possible.Edited by Rory J. Thompson