NNSquad - Network Neutrality Squad
[ NNSquad ] FCC concerned about possible Comcast VoIP discrimination
As Gomer Pyle used to say, "Surprise, surprise, surprise!" Seriously, while we've concentrated up to now on the anticompetitive aspects of ISPs "throttling and capping" on competing Internet video services (but not their own IP-based video offerings), we've paid less attention to VoIP given the relatively lower bandwidth requirements. But as we can see, ISPs' abilities to unilaterally allocate the lion's share of total bandwidth to their own "favored" services, and then provide "whatever is left" (with arbitrary restrictions) to all competing Internet services, potentially have inherent anticompetitive aspects in a largely unregulated and minimally disclosed operating environment. --Lauren-- NNSquad Moderator ----- Forwarded message from David Farber <dave@farber.net> ----- Date: Tue, 20 Jan 2009 14:45:23 -0500 From: David Farber <dave@farber.net> Subject: [IP] a bit more -- Is Comcast Discriminating Against VoIP Providers? Reply-To: dave@farber.net To: ip <ip@v2.listbox.com> Begin forwarded message: From: Kurt Albershardt <kurt@nv.net> Date: January 20, 2009 2:16:09 PM EST To: dave@farber.net Subject: Is Comcast Discriminating Against VoIP Providers? <http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2339204,00.asp> Is Comcast Discriminating Against VoIP Providers? ARTICLE DATE: 01.19.09 By Chloe Albanesius After a year of back and forth over Comcast's network management practices, the cable provider is now under fire for allegedly giving priority to its own IP-based digital phone service over that of competing VoIP providers. The Federal Communications Commission on Sunday penned a letter to Comcast asking why its updated network management policy says that heavy bandwidth users might experience "choppy" VoIP communications on competitors like Vonage or Skype, but not necessarily on Comcast's own IP-based Digital Voice offering. "We seek clarification with respect to an apparent discrepancy between Comcast's [September 19] filing and its actual or advertised practices," Dana Shaffer, chief of the FCC's wireline competition bureau, and Matthew Berry, FCC general counsel, wrote in a letter to Comcast. "Comcast states that [a bandwidth hog] may find that his 'VoIP call sounds choppy' [but] draws no distinction between Comcast's VoIP offering and those offered by its competitors." The Comcast Web site says that Comcast Digital Voice is a separate, facilities-based IP phone service that is not affected by Comcast's new network management techniques. It would appear, then, that Comcast considers its Digital Voice offering a telephone service, not an Internet service, according to the FCC. If so, Comcast should be paying the same fees incurred by traditional phone providers. The FCC requests that "Comcast explain any reason the commission should not treat Comcast's VoIP offering as a telecommunications service â a service subject, among other things, to the same intercarrier compensation obligations applicable to other facilities-based telecommunications carriers," Shaffer and Berry wrote. "We understand that Comcast is not yet complying with such intercarrier compensation obligations." ... ------------------------------------------- Archives: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/247/=now RSS Feed: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/rss/247/ Powered by Listbox: http://www.listbox.com ----- End forwarded message -----