Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Technology Stocks : Data Race (NASDAQ: RACE) NEWS! 2 voice/data/fax: ONE LINE! -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Kashish King who wrote (28520)	4/11/1998 1:30:00 AM
From: Marshall	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 33268

Wakie Wakie, eggs and bakie - - Interesting <snips> from another of what's almost guaranteed to become a continuing series of articles addressing the subject: <snip> Until now, IP telephony providers have been exempt from the access charges and universal service payments. "When you have a service that looks just like long distance telephone service, and a definition in a statute that seems to cover it, we can't just put our head in the sand," an FCC source said. <snip> Access charges could add up to 5 cents a minute on low-cost IP telephony calls, which could stifle the new industry, according to Probe Research consultant Hillary Mine. Qwest Communications, IDT, and even AT&T recently began offering IP calls at 5 cents to 9 cents a minute, but IP-based voice calls account for 0.1 percent of all U.S. long distance traffic, Mine said. Perhaps the most interesting <snip> The IP telephony issue has the regional Bell companies and long distance providers such as AT&T on the same side, for once. "We think anyone who uses the local network should pay the cost of using the local company's loop, whether the call goes over the Internet or not," said AT&T's vice president for law and public policy Mark Rosenblum. techweb.com Gosh, RBOCs and LDCs on the same side? That's going to make it tough.