[Asterisk-biz] TDM <-> VOIP <-> TDM is illegal! Who knew!?! and what should we do?

[Jess Coburn]

So I'm looking to setup a callback service that would go pots phone to
asterisk box to pots phone. The problem I found out is that since it's
TDM on both end's it's considered a regular call and thus the
government wants to get paid.

You can read the FCC's decision on AT&T's petition at:
http://www.fcc.gov/voip/ for more info on this one.

So, okay now we have to get all registered and certified by the
government and the state we operate in, which is fine.  Now I can make
international long distance calls as this and inter-state calls like
this.  But then they say 'oh you want to make intra-state long
distance calls too? Well here's a whole new set of rings we need you
to jump through now!'

So now it seems you have to register as a IXC within each state you
want to make intra-state calls in and you have to have a corporation
in that state as well. So the fees and paperwork and headaches for all
this just went through the roof on this one.

That means if i want to offer a nationwide call-back service going
pots to asterisk to pots then I have to incorporate in 50 states, get
registered and certified in all 50 states and ofcourse also do the
FCC's loop jumping too.

So I see a ton of guys offering calling cards on their asterisk box
which I think means all these calling card guys are running ILLEGAL if
they are going pots to asterisk to pots but there's got to be a way
around this without having to incorporate in 50 states, so what's
everyone doing besides possibly breaking the law.

Jess