VoIP and ENUM

Jeff's Statement to the FCC's Memorandum Opinion and Order

Hi All,

After carefully reviewing the text of the FCC's Memorandum Opinion and
Order (Order) with regard to the pulver.com/FWD Petition, (posted to: http://pulver.com/reports/pulver-decision.pdf), I now realize that
February 12, 2004 will be known as one of the landmark days in the history
of communications. By declaring Free World Dialup's (FWD) end-to-end IP
communications as an unregulated interstate information service, the
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has set the first critical brick
of our broadband future, affirming its commitment to keep the Internet
free from unnecessary regulation.

Chairman Powell recently remarked that the Commission's decisions on Voice
over Internet Protocol (VoIP) will be the most important in 100 years of
regulatory history. This is not an understatement. The text of the Order
provides much-needed regulatory clarity on existing law, clearing the way
for investment and innovation in broadband applications and services, some
we have yet to imagine.

I understand the complexity of the decisions that still await the
Commission as it embarks on its comprehensive VoIP rulemaking, and I
reaffirm my commitment to work with policymakers on these difficult
issues. In the meantime, I commend the FCC for keeping the future of the
Internet where it belongs - in the hands of consumers.

I look forward to also actively work with other regulatory authorities
around the world as the IP Communications Industry continues to evolve.

Best regards,

Jeff

Remark by Richard:

But all others still have a long way to go, especially if we do not want to have
two disjunct systems. We also believe in IP Communications as the future universal
communications service, but as long as the PSTN is around, and interworking between
the two systems is necessary for the benefit of the users of the both systems (and practically
most users do not care about technology, they care about usability and benefits for them).

To regulate the voice part of IP communications separately if it is interworking with
the PSTN in the same way as the existing fixed line PSTN as Public Available Telefone
Service (PATS) is contra-productive for the fostering of new innovative services.

It is also contra-productive to prevent IP Communications to do useful things like
using E.164 numbers or having access to emergency services just to avoid regulation.

If the mobile phone services would have been treated the same way as VoIP is treated
now by some, mobile phone services would never have been so successful. So the
minimum requirement for the legal treatment of VoIP is to be treated at least in the
same way as mobile phone services.