Volume II

Issue : 22: November 18, 2004

• European Court of Justice Releases Decisions on Scope of Database Protection
• Idaho Obtains Judgement to Permanently Ban Fax Spammer from State
• UPS and Other Couriers File Suit against Maines Tobacco Sales Law
• Indian Supreme Court Finds Computer Software a Good not a Service
• FCC VoIP Ruling Removes Regulatory Power from the States
• Privacy Commissioner of Canada releases Annual Report
• Dow Jones Settling Internet Defamation Case by Gutnick
• B.C. Privacy Commissioner Releases Report on U.S. PATRIOT Act
• Ontario Judge Awards Significant Damages in Cyber libel Case
• WTO Report Finds U.S. in Breach of GATS over Online Gambling Dispute
• Judge Finds Content from the Internet Archive Website Admissible

Home > Volume II > Issue 22: November 18, 2004 > FCC VoIP Ruling Removes Regulatory Power from the States

FCC VoIP Ruling Removes Regulatory Power from the States

On November 9, 2004, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission ("FCC") decided that Voice-over Internet Protocol ("VoIP") services are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the U.S. federal government. The ruling was in response to a petition by Vonage, a New Jersey based VoIP provider, requesting that the FCC pre-empt attempts by the state of Minnesota to classify VoIP as an intrastate service and subject it to traditional public utility regulation and tariffs. In the ruling, the FCC stated that VoIP services are interstate in nature and therefore out of the regulatory reach of individual state telecommunication regulatory bodies. However, the FCC declined to address other contentious issues, such as the states' ability to apply tariffs to VoIP services.

For additional information, visit:

http://www.fcc.gov

For an article discussing this decision, visit:

http://www.heydary.com/publications/voip-regulations.html