A Mississippi Congressman is leading a bipartisan group of 65 in urging the Federal Communications Commission rule that Voice-over Internet Protocol qualifies as interstate in nature and thus should be protected from what they call a patchwork of state regulations.
"VoIP is the next forward step in voice communications," said the letter to FCC chairman Michael Powell, written by Rep. Chip Pickering (R-Mississippi), vice chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. "As this efficient technology grows, consumers will benefit from advanced services and reduced costs. But for consumers to be able to enjoy the fruits of this technology, VoIP must develop and prosper without the threat of a patchwork of state regulations stifling the innovation. Clearly, VoIP is interstate in nature and thus subject to FCC jurisdiction. This letter asks the FCC to expedite their ruling on the subject and provide jurisdictional and regulatory clarity."
Noting that broadband is on the rise in his home state, Pickering's letter added that broadband's increase will mean new choices and lower prices for voice communications. "Utilizing the Internet, it will make no price difference if you're talking to someone in Memphis or Montana or Mozambique," the letter continued. "Voice over the Internet will change the way we communicate, but we must keep government regulation from crippling this technology in its infancy."
