IP: Don't Panic! RE: Bells attempt to control the Internet

[David Farber <dave@farber.net>]

>
>Date: Tue, 01 May 2001 09:24:28 -0700
>To: farber@cis.upenn.edu, jeff@pulver.com, gene.gaines@gainesgroup.com
>From: Bill Stewart <bill.stewart@pobox.com>
>Subject: Don't Panic!  RE: Bells attempt to control the Internet
>
>My reading of the bill is much different from Pulver's.
>It doesn't prohibit *everybody* from offering Voice over IP services -
>it prohibits *Bell Operating Companies* who are currently
>forbidden to offer conventional long-distance voice service
>from offering internet-based voice on high-speed connections,
>which would be an easy workaround.
>
>The HR1542 may (ok, does) have other problems, but this isn't one of them.
>It doesn't appear to prohibit them from offering VOIP over
>lower-speed internet connections, such as IDSL, modems, or 256kbps DSL -
>it defines high-speed as at least 384kbps in at least one direction,
>but Congress doesn't typically think of everything....
>
>
>You can look up the bill on http://thomas.loc.gov - search for "hr1542".
>
>         (k) PROHIBITION ON MARKETING VOICE TELEPHONE SERVICES-
>         Until the date on which a Bell operating company is
>         authorized to offer interLATA services originating in an
>         in-region State in accordance with the provisions of this section,
>         such Bell operating company offering any high speed data service
>         or Internet access service pursuant to the provisions of paragraph
>         (7) of subsection (g) may not, in such in-region State market, bill,
>         or collect for interLATA voice telecommunications service obtained
>         by means of the high speed data service or Internet access service
>         provided by such company.
>
>Disclaimers: I'm not a lawyer, though I've played a politician on TV.
>I've got a variety of other opinions about this and current regulation,
>which differ significantly from the Bell Companies', AT&T's, Tauzin's,
>Cato's, Nader's, etc., so I'm sending this from my personal email account, 
>not work.
>
>                 Bill Stewart  bill.stewart@pobox.com
>
>-----Original Message-----
>
> >Date: Tue, 1 May 2001 05:22:45 -0400
> >From: Gene Gaines <gene.gaines@gainesgroup.com>
> >To: farber@cis.upenn.edu
> >Subject: Bells attempt to control the Internet
> >
> >SOS: House Telecom Subcommittee Approves Bill Regulating VoIP Applications
> >
> >Need your Help to Defeat HR 1542 and Keep Internet Communications
> >Regulation Free  ( http://pulver.com/hr1542 )
> >
> >
> >Hi There,
> >
> >The "Tauzin-Dingell Broadband Bill" incorporates for the first time
> >Internet applications and broadband in the legacy telecom regulatory
> >framework. The bill will make it illegal to offer IP based voice services
> >over the Internet and give the Bells hooks to kill off remaining broadband
> >competitors.
>
>....
>
> >
> >[The above from Jeff Pulver <jeff@pulver.com>]
> >
> >
> >Gene Gaines
> >gene.gaines@gainesgroup.com
> >Sterling, Virginia
>
>
>



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