Just over a year ago I got fed up with the term parasitic being used to describe VoIP vendors. Countless people I knew actually went out and got broadband connections so they could use Skype. I understood fully well that VoIP providers are not parasites as many called them but instead added a tremendous amount of value.

I was inspired to write VoIP: Not Parasitic.

I argued that broadband and VoIP providers are symbiotic meaning both services benefit from one another.

Today I read an article on Techdirt that was pointed out by Ted Wallingford. The argument goes, why is Verizon paying CBS to carry their stations via IPTV and thinking of charging companies like Vonage? For many people, Vonage was the reason they purchased broadband access in the first place. Now Vonage and others are being threatened by the very service providers who benefited from their service in the past!