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 : Intel Corporation (INTC) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: gnuman who wrote (74590)	2/26/1999 2:13:00 PM
From: Jeff Fox	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 186894

Gene, No change in ISP local call access - - - but... Read the articles. The reporters are so confused that different ones lead with directly opposite headlines from the story! This is a tiff between the RBOCs and the new upstart "local" providers. Seems that these smaller companies have cornered a bunch of ISPs. By their nature, ISPs get lots of calls, but do not place outgoing calls. The small phone cos. are shaking down the RBOCs big time for this. Bottom line - no change to consumers, but the revenue sharing contracts are whacked and need to be fixed. The losers will be the smaller phone co.s losing their windfall. Some excerpts from news.com The commissioners took pains to emphasize that their decision would not affect consumers' Internet phone bills. "It doesn't affect the way consumers get dialup access to Internet," said chairman William Kennard. "Nothing we're doing here should be construed as regulating the Internet." But the decision was made under protest by one commissioner, who has argued that it could inadvertently open up the possibility for courts to impose per-minute access charges on ISPs. Jeff

To: gnuman who wrote (74590)	3/4/1999 9:11:00 AM
From: The Duke of URL©	Respond to of 186894

This speaks to small phone companies and calls but it seems to apply to all isps and all connections. forums.infoworld.com Dial up and charge someone Posted by: siteadm Date posted: Fri, 26 Feb 1999 Are you going to pay long distance charges for using the Internet? According to one FCC commissioner, Harold Furchtgott-Roth, the possibility looms. First, a little background: Telecommunications law is a hairball that would make Garfield proud. But basically, under a plan called "reciprocal compensation," whoever owns the network where a call ends gets some money. When I call New York from California, the N.Y. network gets money from my phone carrier, since my call makes use of the N.Y. network. But, when it comes to the voice network, ISPs only receive calls (as users dial in to their ISP), even though network traffic gets routed all over the world. They are exempt from long-distance charges. But now, the FCC has ruled that Internet "calls" are interstate calls. The FCC has specifically stated that it is not changing the rules of reciprocal compensation just yet, but the possibility is there. Does the FCC decision merely recognize what is really going on when someone sends e-mail? If so, should the FCC also recognize that Internet traffic is fundamentally different than phone traffic? Or is the FCC on its way to rethinking its entire approach to data and communications? Could this have a profound impact on the growth of the Internet?