Vonage Fights Minnesota's Attempts To Regulate VoIP

rmccoy writes "Vonage said Thursday it intends to fight the first-ever decision by a U.S. state to regulate companies that provide Internet-based phone services. Minnesota's Public Utilities Commission unanimously decided two weeks ago that the New Jersey-based voice over IP (VoIP) provider is subject to the rules and regulations that cover traditional phone companies."

Sucks...

[Superfreaker]

I use vonage as a replacement for my house line. I added a second vonage number for faxing and it works perfectly (except during the blackout).

I have a feeling that many of the things that make this service cool could be affected by this.
Like:
- Being able to have a number in any area code regardless of where you live
- Being able to plug your phone into any broadband line anywhere and have the same number you have at home.

Those are key and I can see them being screwed by this type of regulation.

Re:Not quite the same

[phunhippy]

For example, phone companies are supposed to track where phone calls originate (for 911 dispatchers, for example). That's not going to be possible with VoIP.

you sir are wrong.. In fact Vonage offers a 911 service when you sign up these days.

This will probably happen in more states as well they are offering home service. Eventually long-haul carriers like ITXC & IBAS will have to face these problems as well.

Re:Not quite the same

[an_mo]

did you even read the parent post? HE's saying that they can trace origination, not that they can't offer 911 service

Re:Not quite the same

[rusty0101]

Technically the hard wired phone companies can't trace a call origination either. If you go to a line bridge (pedestal or arial) and find dial tone, then patch that to your own pair of wires into your house, there is no way for the phone company to determine where a phone call originating on that line actually came from.

Note that this is tampering with phone company equipment which I believe is considered a felony, but that doesn't change the fact that unless a phone company rep goes to that bridge and finds the wires attached, they don't know where the call came from.

Additionally the dial tone that that line carries may be on bridge tap for a line that is not even in the neighborhood you live on. So knowing that the call originated on phone line 218-555-1111 does not tell you that the call originated at the billing address for that line. It tells you that it probably came from that address. Fortunately we do not have that many people stealing phone service.

The way that 911 works, regardless of whether it is provided by a VoIP provider or the phone company, is that the phone number and service address are forwarded to the 911 operator by the appropriate service provider.

-Rusty

p.s. Yes I have worked for the phone company, though I do not do so now. I also happen to use Vonage and live in the state of Minnesota, so I very possibly will be affected.

Re:They can't have it both ways

[gclef]

That is not entirely right. at least, not in the US (not sure what the rules are elsewhere). Packetsniffing traffic you are not entitled to legally monitor is a violation of federal wiretap laws (and therefore a federal felony).

Now, it is true that companies can monitor traffic that passes over a network they own (your ISP can sniff your traffic if you're using them), specifically if they are doing it for standard business reasons (like tracking abuse, troubleshooting network problems, IDS', etc)...but that script kiddy listening to your traffic is committing a federal felony, and your ISP can not just randomly sniff your traffic for giggles.

Sure, there aren't enough Feds on the planet to investigate and prosecute the violations of this setup, but that doesn't make it legal. If Vonage is sniffing your calls for any non-business-defined reason (and they'd better have documentation as to what those reasons are), they're committing a federal offense.

Re:Seems pretty straight forward to me...

[Anonymous Coward]

Their 911 dialing isn't the same as from a normal phone line, as stated here [vonage.com]

"Your Call Will Go To A General Access Line at the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP). This is different from the 911 Emergency Response Center where traditional 911 calls go.

This means your call goes to a different phone number than traditional 911 calls. Also, you will need to state the nature of your emergency promptly and clearly, including your location and telephone number, as PSAP personnel will NOT have this information at hand."

Re:I'd think this would be a federal matter

[Bull999999]

It is. Vonage will win because according to the U.S. Constitution, only Congress can pass the law regulating inter state commerce.