by Cynthia L. Webb
The land of Internet calling may not be free of regulation for much longer.
With upstarts like Vonage taking business away from traditional phone companies while AT&T and others try to play catch up with their own Voice Over Internet Protocol offerings, the government is looking to step in soon to set up rules for the growing telecom service. But if FCC Chairman Michael Powell has his way, Uncle Sam will tread lightly and intervene to keep VoIP from getting wrapped up in red tape and taxes at the state level.
Powell, speaking at a Boston telecom conference , "said yesterday he will push -- before the next president is inaugurated -- to protect fledgling Internet telephone services from getting taxed and heavily regulated by the 50 state governments," the Boston Globe reported, adding that Powell "hopes before Jan. 20 to get the five-member commission to agree that only the FCC can regulate Net phone plans like those offered by Vonage Holdings Corp., AT&T Corp.'s CallVantage , and a host of other services offering low-priced, unlimited phone calls. Powell said his goal is to keep Internet phone subscribers from having to pay the fees and taxes levied on conventional phone service offered by companies like Verizon Communications Inc. He also wants to prevent state price and service regulation from squelching a fast-growing but still small industry that counts just under 1 million U.S. subscribers." * Boston Globe: FCC Chief Pushes to Protect Net Phone Services
With upstarts like Vonage taking business away from traditional phone companies while AT&T and others try to play catch up with their own Voice Over Internet Protocol offerings, the government is looking to step in soon to set up rules for the growing telecom service. But if FCC Chairman Michael Powell has his way, Uncle Sam will tread lightly and intervene to keep VoIP from getting wrapped up in red tape and taxes at the state level.
Powell, speaking at a Boston telecom conference , "said yesterday he will push -- before the next president is inaugurated -- to protect fledgling Internet telephone services from getting taxed and heavily regulated by the 50 state governments," the Boston Globe reported, adding that Powell "hopes before Jan. 20 to get the five-member commission to agree that only the FCC can regulate Net phone plans like those offered by Vonage Holdings Corp., AT&T Corp.'s CallVantage , and a host of other services offering low-priced, unlimited phone calls. Powell said his goal is to keep Internet phone subscribers from having to pay the fees and taxes levied on conventional phone service offered by companies like Verizon Communications Inc. He also wants to prevent state price and service regulation from squelching a fast-growing but still small industry that counts just under 1 million U.S. subscribers." * Boston Globe: FCC Chief Pushes to Protect Net Phone Services
