VoIP And Local Telephone Companies
Author: Michael Weaver

With VoIP technology entering the mainstream, it brings the
possibilities or huge profits for the companies that provide
the service. The current promise of cost savings is driving
more and more residential and business users to investigate
this technology. But the local telephone companies are not
going to give up customers without a fight.

There is a current mandate by the US federal government that
all VoIP providers offer E911 service. The initial blocking of
this information was with the public switched telephone network
maintained by the major telephone companies

The next stumbling block is 'naked DSL' or DSL access without
local phone service. This service is rare, but without it a
residence would not be able to use VoIP as their primary phone
service mechanism. You see, DSL is running over your existing
phone line provided by your local telephone company. Drop your
local phone service and you'll probably drop your broadband DSL
access as well. (Cable broadband access is a viable solution
here and the increased cost in cable access should be offset by
the reduction on your monthly phone bill)

These are just two fronts in the battle over VoIP. Should
companies be compensated for the infrastructures they build?
Should E911 service be 'free' and offered as a public service?
What about the existing phone service run into our homes? Who
pays for those lines to be laid and hooked into the public
switched telephone network?

There really are no easy answers to the questions above. The
phone companies are not about to give up customers without a
fight. They have years and billions of dollars spent in
building one of the most reliable communications networks
'currently' known to us.

Is VoIP the next step in the evolving communications industry?
How will this play out with phone companies offering internet
and TV services and cable providers offering phone and internet
service? The line is being blurred and yet the technology pushes
forward.

I don't have the answers, only questions. I know how I'd like
to see it all play out, but alas, there is no Nirvana and no,
it would seem we all cannot get along. Not when there's
literally billions of dollars at stake. There will be winners
and losers as this war rages on, but it is my hope that we, the
end users, will, in the end, be better for it. After all, we've
been down this path many times before and it's turned out ok.

Remember the advent of the PC and where we've gone since then?
Remember the first bulky cellular phones vs. what's available
today? Yes, TV's, radios, computers, phones the list goes on.
Technology advances will continue to push us into new
directions. I'm sure that in the end, VoIP will be as
commonplace as the home computer.

We can leverage this technology today in a cost effective
manner. Like any technology how you implement VoIP will make
the difference. Whether you're a residential or business user,
there can be an immediate benefit. Check with your
communications broker to find out if your existing phone needs
can be met cost effectively with VoIP.


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