On Tue, May 16, 2000 at 03:37:45PM -0400, John Fraizer wrote:

http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,36339,00.html

Time for a change in Washington. Register to throw them out...er...vote.

hmmm. there seems to be some confusion as to what internet telephony is. later in the article, they say: Ken Rutkowski, a CNET radio host who has aired his opposition to the bill, said he uses online telephone services like those of AOL's ICQ daily. i don't use ICQ, but i sorta understood it to be half between biff and irc. how is ICQ considered an "online telephone service"? -- [ Jim Mercer jim@reptiles.org +1 416 410-5633 ] [ Reptilian Research -- Longer Life through Colder Blood ] [ Don't be fooled by cheap Finnish imitations; BSD is the One True Code. ]

For those who would like to read the full text of the bill plus commentary can go to http://thomas.loc.gov/ and search on HR1291. Select the version reported out of the House. This also includes some extra info on motivation and commentary. The main text of the bill is copied below. Note a couple of things. 1) The bill disallows access charges " based on a measure of the time" the user is connected to the ISP. It does not disallow flat rate access charges. 2) The bill neither mandates nor encourages access charges for Internet Telephony. Therefore, Internet Telephony is status quo in terms of regulation before the FCC. What the bill doesn't do is forbid the FCC from levying access charges on Internet Telephony. Some might see this as a slippery slope; however, I think it is a slope we were already on. As some other folks have pointed out, Congress failed to define "Internet Telephony". I guess they will leave this up to the FCC. ---------start text----------- "Section 254 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 254) is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection: `(l) PROHIBITION OF CHARGES ON INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS- `(1) IN GENERAL- Notwithstanding subsection (b)(4) or (d) or any other provision of this title, the Commission shall not impose on any provider of Internet access service (as such term is defined in section 231(e)) any contribution for the support of universal service that is based on a measure of the time that telecommunications services are used in the provision of such Internet access service. `(2) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION- Nothing in this subsection shall preclude the Commission from imposing access charges on the providers of Internet telephone services, irrespective of the type of customer premises equipment used in connection with such services.'. ---------end text------------ John Fraizer wrote:

http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,36339,00.html

Time for a change in Washington. Register to throw them out...er...vote.

--- John Fraizer EnterZone, Inc