In a possibly unprecedented move, the Federal Communications Commission hit a telephone service provider with a fine last week to ensure the company no longer blocks Internet telephone service over their network.
The FCC’s Enforcement Bureau and North Carolina-based Madison River agreed to a $15,000 penalty, and Madison in turn agreed formally not to block Voice-over Internet Protocol traffic again. The FCC ruling could be a major boost to VoIP’s already surging popularity as a telephone alternative.
“We saw a problem, and we acted swiftly to ensure that Internet voice service remains a viable option for consumers,” said soon-to-be-departing FCC Chairman Michael K. Powell, announcing the settlement. “The industry must adhere to certain consumer protection norms if the Internet is to remain an open platform for innovation.”
Powell, whose pending departure is seen as depriving the Internet of a strong supporter pending his successor’s policy vision, has already expressed a vision of “Internet Freedom,” principles under which he has said any company breaking consumer connections to the Net violate the openness Netizens expect.
“In my view, the surest way to preserve Net freedom is to handle these issues in an enforcement context,” Powell said, “where hypothetical worriers give way to concrete facts and—as we have shown today—real solutions.”
The case began when leading VoIP provider Vonage complained that up to two hundred of their customers had service blocked by Madison River, a subsidiary of which was said to have blocked those VoIP users. That, Vonage said, meant no phone at all for those customers who turned off their traditional landlines and relied solely on their Internet telephony—including no ability to make 911 calls if needed.
Madison River has yet to comment on the FCC ruling, but Vonage said they were more than pleased with it. “Blocking is akin to censorship,” said Vonage chief executive Jeffrey Citron in a statement. "This sends a clear message . . . that interference in broadband communication will not be tolerated by the government.”
