FCC May Allow VOIP Access Charges

formatting link
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is expected to deny a forbearance petition that has kept VOIP providers from paying PSTN access charges, just days before the Commission's March 22 deadline, sources close to the Commission say.

When this happens, VOIP providers will be subject to access charges for terminating their calls on other carrier networks. But all is not lost for the VOIP crowd.

The FCC is expected to deny the forbearance request before Tuesday, rather than let the deadline pass, sources say. But soon after, the FCC may also order a rule change further exempting the VOIP carriers from access charges. Either way, the resolution of the situation will have very serious implications for the fledgling VOIP industry.

"I know there will be order of denial on the forbearance," says Staci Pies, vice president of governmental and regulatory affairs at VOIP provider PointOne Telecommunications.

"But because of the way they will deny it, following that will be an additional order that will change the rules in such a way that Level 3 and others like them will be afforded relief," says Pies, who worked at Level 3 when the petition was filed, and before that held an office at the FCC in Washington.

"The commissioners understand that it doesn't make any sense to deny the forbearance because the rules are substandard, and then not change the rules," Pies says.

Background: The forbearance petition was filed a year ago by VOIP provider Level 3 Communications Inc., and since then the VOIP industry has watched for the Commission to grant or deny it, hoping all the while that it would do neither as the deadline approached. If the Commission did let the deadline pass, it would mean that VOIP carriers would continue to be exempt from the access charges.

Outgoing chairman Michael Powell, in one of the last actions of his term, has reportedly floated two possible responses to the Level 3 petition, sources close to the situation say. The first is an outright denial of the forbearance petition, and the second is an 'interim' rule change that would further protect Level 3 and others from the access charges.

Telecom carriers, on the other hand, believe that the FCC will deny the petition -- period.

Full story at:

formatting link

How to Distribute VoIP Throughout a Home:

formatting link
If you live in Michigan, subscribe to the MI-Telecom group:
formatting link

Reply to
Jack Decker
Loading thread data ...

Cabling-Design.com Forums website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.