The Demise of Cheap VOIP

pjsmoot · 2005-05-08T23:43:51+00:00

John Dvorak has an article entitled "The Coming Death of Cheap VOIP" inPC Magazine's May 24th, 2005 issue. He mentions that the telcos willsoon sniff out Skype-like traffic on their networks, and make itunusable, thereby forcing you to use the telco's VOIP service, or noneat all.Rather than debate the accuracy of what Dvorak said, I was wondering ifany of you truly tech-savvy guys know whether there are ways to getaround such technical roadblocks (such as encrypting VOIP traffic?).Thanks.

May 08, 2005 28 Replies

Rate this thread:

Stephen M. Adams 21 years ago

I did for a time. Now, I just escaped broad-band hell, after 10 years. The brand new subdivision had no infrastructure for anything more than POTS until about a year ago.

And there are no other options that wireline phones, with tens if not hundreds of thousands of dollars of cost per line, charged to ALL other subscribers?

Is 911 access now a 'mandatory human right'?

As Plato said, Democracy will turn into dictatorship, and will fail when people realize they can vote themselves money from the treasury.

Sorry, but 'easy communication' is not a basic human right. It's a luxury. The first amendment doesn't require the government to provide you with a printing press....or any other means of expressing yourself.

-Stephen

Vote

Stephen M. Adams 21 years ago

Yeah, those "we will disconnect you if you don't pay" notices can be safely ignored, and you can continue to use your phone forever without paying. Not.

Even utilities like Gas and Electric can be disconnected for non-payment during the non-winter months in Illinois, and there is no law requiring them to be turned back on before winter starts.

Right. I was imagining things when my ISDN bill and POTS bill came together back in the old days. Why SBC offers combined billing for satellite, phone and mobile.

Uh huh.

-Stephen

Vote

Rick Merrill 21 years ago

Stephen M. Adams wrote: ...

Only if you have a phone in the US. The law (state or federal?) mandates that the phone company supports 911 (and in some places e911) AND it says that the phone company can add an amount to support the expense.

Vote

Rick Merrill 21 years ago

We're probably looking at differences in State laws. In Massachusetts the POTS phone cannot be discontinued for non-payment without a hearing. And if there are only people over 65 (I think) then the phone cannot be disconnected.

Vote

Rick Merrill 21 years ago

Slippery slope? You'd better believe it :-)

Vote

Stephen M. Adams 21 years ago

What's next? Cable TV? A computer? A car? We're talking slippery slope here...

-Stephen

Vote

John Nelson 21 years ago

Rubbish. There is a world of difference between a utility that, among other things, provides the ability to summon help from the government agencies that virtually every citizen's tax dollars pay to maintain. Think fire, police, and medical. And let us be clear, we are NOT talking about providing these things "for free". We are talking about regulations that ensure that such things are provided to all customers at a reasonable rate; one that is nominally affordable for the consumer, and (at least) nominally profitable for the carrier.

Vote

Stephen M. Adams 21 years ago

The user of the system does not bear even a remote resemblance of the actual cost of the system. There are alternatives for summoning aid to a copper-line telephone. Alternatives that are far cheaper than forcing the entire rate-base to pay tens of thousands of dollars PER line to wire remote communities.

And those regulations came about BEFORE 911.

-Stephen

Vote