Greg Galitzine : Greg Galitzine's VoIP Authority Blog
Greg Galitzine

FCC Enforces Net Freedom In VoIP Port Block Case

March 4, 2005

Looks like the FCC is showing that it has teeth after all when it comes to its stance on VoIP… Under Michael Powell’s leadership, the Commission reached� a consent decree whereby� Madison River Communications will make a $15,000 voluntary contribution to the U.S. Treasury�  in response to that company’s blocking of Vonage VoIP ports.� 



That sentence might also read "The FCC slapped Madison River with a $15,000 fine for screwing with consumers' rights to access the services of the VoIP provider of their choosing."


But that's not the way it read in the press release I received last night:

� 

FCC Chairman Michael K. Powell Commends Swift Action to Protect Internet Voice Services

The Enforcement Bureau of the Federal Communications Commission reached a $15,000 consent decree today with Madison River Communication, LLC that will ensure uninterrupted Internet voice service on the company’s network.

“We saw a problem, and we acted swiftly to ensure that Internet voice service remains a viable option for consumers,” said FCC Chairman Michael K. Powell.

Internet Telephony Conference: 100% Satisfaction

February 28, 2005

So, here I am, back in the office after a full week away at Internet Telephony Conference & EXPO. And what a full week it was. So full, I was unable to blog with any consistency, and thus ended up not blogging at all.

� 

Level 3 Responds to USTA

February 28, 2005

Level 3 is defending itself against comments made in an advertisement placed by the United States Telecom Association.�  I received a release on the matter� this morning:



The following statement is attributable to Bill Hunt, vice president of public policy at Level 3 Communications, Inc.

"On February 23, 2005, the United States Telecom Association placed a highly misleading advertisement in Communications Daily regarding the forbearance petition Level 3 has filed with the FCC on Voice over IP. The ad accuses Level 3 of attempting to 'skip out on its bill' and avoid paying 'what it rightfully owes' when it exchanges VoIP traffic with incumbent local carriers.

Pingtel Launches Open Source Channel Program

February 22, 2005

There will be many news announcements made this week at the Internet Telephony Conference & EXPO here in sunny south Florida. One of the first releases to cross my transom is the news that Pingtel is expanding their global reach by launching a worldwide channel program.

Already over 20 vendors have signed on to promote Open Source SIP solutions to the global marketplace. The news release appears below.

VoIP 2.0 Arrives

February 22, 2005

So here we are. Miami. Internet Telephony Conference & EXPO. You can almost hear the orchestra tuning their instruments as the last-minute preparations are underway. I'm looking forward to the VoIP Peering Summit, which promises to be one of the more compelling tracks on offer today.

It's Go Time

February 18, 2005

Well, after months of planning and hard work, it's almost time to tidy my desk and set off for Miami. I'm looking forward to next week's Internet Telephony Conference and EXPO, which is shaping up to be one of the biggest and most exciting VoIP events ever.

I'm especially looking forward to several of the conference sessions, most notably the P2P VoIP discussion being moderated by our own Tom Keating. That's what I like most about this conference: we're always breaking new ground and presenting the top minds in the industry.

ABI Releases Telco TV Report

February 17, 2005

ABI Research takes a look at the burgeoning Telco TV market in their latest research report Telco TV Infrastructure & Service Integrator Opportunities.

The study examines the trends, market values, and penetration of the emerging medium of Telco TV, the infrastructure enabling it, and the main vendors in the space.

Top 3 Companies In The Space
According to analyst Michael Arden, “ICTV is number one: they have announced deployments that are significant, and they appear to have an aggressive sales force that is doing a good job. Their ICTV technology isn’t as good as the runner-up’s, but they hit all of the main requirements of a VOD system, and their product scales well to provide a cost-effective solution to any size service provider.”

nCUBE� claims the number two rating. The company has a strong record in the CATV industry and should be able to draw on past customers for future sales. It also has a proven technology, giving it a strong score on the Innovation side of the equation.

Microsoft ranks number three.

NetHawk and ipNetfusion to Merge

February 17, 2005

Armstrong To Ride in 2005 Tour de France

February 16, 2005

Lance Armstrong confirmed today that he would take part in this year's Tour de France.

Armstrong announced his initial 2005 racing schedule, which includes the Tour de France, next month's Paris-Nice classic, the Tour of Flanders and the Tour of Georgia in the United States.

Mar 6-13 — Paris-Nice
Apr 3 — Tour of Flanders (Belgium)
Apr 19-24 — Tour de Georgia (USA)
Jul 2-24 — Tour de France


This is exciting stuff. I’m glad Lance decided to ride in this year’s Tour, rather than put it off until 2006, when he would have had an even more difficult time defending his streak of six consecutive wins.

Verizon/MCI Commentary Part III

February 15, 2005

Peter Eisenhut is Principal, Eisenhut & Associates, and a member of the Society of Telecommunications Consultants. Here's his take on the subject of Verizon/MCI...

What will be the impact of the purchase of MCI by Verizon, and the purchase of AT&T by SBC ??�  Anyone who has the answers could either become very rich or locked� up for lunacy. Neither is likely in my case, but I do have� some questions:

  • If the deals go through, SBC and Verizon will have bought up most of the competition they had for local exchange service.�  At the same time, the requirement for SBC and Verizon to provided� unbundled network elements (UNE-P) at discounted prices to competitors (CLECs) is also evaporating.
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