Vonage vows to fight New York ruling

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But it does.

"If you do not want to be a telephone company then your service should not be able to connect to the telephone network in any way. Once you do that BAM you are providing a telephone service so you are a telephone company and the same rules and regulations that apply to every other telephone compnay apply to you."

The way your statement reads, you are saying that any ISP is a telephone company. ISP's provide dial-up connectivity => they're phone companies.

Let's look at some similar situations.
1. TV - Are cable networks broadcasters? According to the FCC, no they aren't. They use a different medium, and are therefore regulated differently.
2. Are radio and TV broadcasters the same? According to the FCC, no they aren't. They both broadcast in radio frequencies, but are regulated slightly differently.
3.Is ethanol the same as gasoline? Both can be burned in engines to power an automobile, but one is taxed to h*ll and gone and the other is not.
3. Are planes and cars the same? The DOT and NTSB say no. However, both methods will get you from NYC to LA.

The FCC is in the process of determining exactly how to classify Vonage and similar companies. They have already ruled that pure IP communications are not telephone communications in any way, shape, or form.

NY is probably concerned about the lost tax revenue. The PSTN is heavily regulated and taxed. I believe Vonage still has to pay the telephone company for connections that interface with the PSTN.

BTW - I and several of my friends use Vonage. When we talk to each other, we don't use the PSTN at all. For those calls would you still consider Vonage a telephone company?

Posted by: Letophoro   Posted on: 05/20/04 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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