[Asterisk-biz] FCC hits telco for VoIP blocking

[Trevor G. Hammonds]

FCC hits telco for VoIP blocking

Jeff Baumgartner, CED

The Federal Communications Commission has slapped the hand of a North
Carolina-based telco for engaging in VoIP blocking, a practice that can
prevent customers of Vonage and other broadband-enabled voice services from
accessing service. 

The FCC on Thursday said it had reached a $15,000 consent decree with
Madison River Communications LLC, a move "that will ensure uninterrupted
Internet voice service on the company's network." 

Under the terms of the decree, Madison River will refrain from blocking VoIP
traffic and ensure that such blocking will not recur. The $15,000 paid by
Madison will go directly to the U.S. Treasury. It's been widely reported
that Madison River was blocking Vonage traffic.

Madison River, founded in 1996, provides services in the Gulf Coast, the
Mid-Atlantic, and Midwestern regions of the U.S.

VoIP blocking has loomed as a concern for VoIP services that piggyback on
high-speed connections provided over cable, DSL and other broadband
networks. 

"We saw a problem, and we acted swiftly to ensure that Internet voice
service remains a viable option for consumers," outgoing FCC Chairman
Michael Powell said, in a statement. "The industry must adhere to certain
consumer protection norms if the Internet is to remain an open platform for
innovation." 

Powell's "Internet Freedom" initiative will keep a close eye on companies
that violate the "openness" of the Internet by intentionally breaking a
consumer's connection to the Internet. 

The decree elicited a response from VoIP pioneer and Free World Dialup
Founder Jeff Pulver. 

"I suspect carriers and others that might control a user's access to the
Internet will now think twice before blocking ports needed for VoIP and
other IP-based applications, or otherwise interfering with the user's
Internet experience," Pulver said.