Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News
    • Networking

    VOIP Port Blocking Draws Congressional Interest

    By
    John Pallatto
    -
    March 8, 2005
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      SAN JOSE, Calif.—Congress will likely look deeper into the problem of “port blocking” since the Federal Communications Commission ruled last week that Madison River Communications could not resort to this practice to prevent customers from using voice-over-IP applications.

      That was the view of two congressional analysts who discussed legislative initiatives in the U.S. relating to VOIP services Monday at the VON Conference & Expo here.

      New reports about the FCC decision raised “a blip on the radar screen” for U.S. Sen. John Sununu of New Hampshire, said Mike OReilly, a legislative assistant to Sununu.

      “My boss did notice it and I wanted to make sure he is aware of it,” OReilly said. Any follow up would involve learning more about how this particular incident happened to determine whether any further congressional action is needed beyond the FCCs ruling, he said.

      Among the potential follow-up questions is how did the initial port-blocking action take place, OReilly said. Any further inquiry will likely focus on whether the port blocking was a “competitive decision or bad employee decision,” OReilly said.

      In his VON keynote speech Monday, Vonage Holdings Corp. CEO Jeffrey Citron called on attendees to write to Congress to protest port blocking as a form of censorship. “Tell them to stop the insanity,” Citron said. If this form of censorship is allowed to continue, he asked, “Where does it stop?”

      /zimages/4/28571.gifClick here to read more about the FCC ruling against Madison River Communications.

      He noted that the FCC acted within weeks after Vonage filed its complaint against Madison River Communications to impose a $15,000 fine and order an end to the port blocking. But he also urged continued vigilance, claiming that the states of New York, California and Ohio indicated they would appeal the FCC decision.

      He also urged Congress to pass legislation to ensure the “complete neutrality” of wire-line and wireless telephone companies to enable VOIP customers to freely access any telephone network in the country.

      The best move by Vonage and the FCC was to make both the complaint and the ruling public, noted Jason Mahler, chief of staff to U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo of California. This helped serve notice that there may be a problem that requires legislative or regulatory attention, he said.

      However, Mahler also observed that Madison River executives recently expressed ignorance of the FCCs action, even though a news report of the ruling appeared on the front page of the Washington Post last week.

      Vonage lodged a complaint with the FCC earlier this year after the VOIP service provider verified customer complaints that their VOIP communication ports were being blocked.

      Mahler and OReilly indicated Congress will also likely consider legislation clarifying standards for digital television and supporting the implementation of VOIP.

      Mahler suggested that the recent proposed megamergers of SBC Communications Inc. with AT&T Corp. and Verizon Communications with MCI Inc. may have “thrown a wrench” into the congressional agenda for communication legislation for this year.

      Congress may find itself distracted by attention paid to the competitive issues raised by these mergers. But both Mahler and OReilly said that they expected that Congress would act this year on legislation aimed at supporting consumer adoption of digital television.

      OReilly suggested the VOIP is less likely to be a legislative priority for Congress because relatively few members have focused on it as an important public policy issue.

      /zimages/4/28571.gif Check out eWEEK.coms for the latest news, views and analysis on voice over IP and telephony.

      John Pallatto
      John Pallatto has been editor in chief of QuinStreet Inc.'s eWEEK.com since October 2012. He has more than 40 years of experience as a professional journalist working at a daily newspaper and computer technology trade journals. He was an eWEEK managing editor from 2009 to 2012. From 2003 to 2007 he covered Enterprise Application Software for eWEEK. From June 2007 to 2008 he was eWEEK’s West Coast news editor. Pallatto was a member of the staff that launched PC Week in March 1984. From 1992 to 1996 he was PC Week’s West Coast Bureau chief. From 1996 to 1998 he was a senior editor with Ziff-Davis Internet Computing Magazine. From 2000 to 2002 Pallatto was West Coast bureau chief with Internet World Magazine. His professional journalism career started at the Hartford Courant daily newspaper where he worked from 1974 to 1983.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Big Data and Analytics

      Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

      James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
      I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×