Date: Sat, 13 May 2000 16:51:23 -0500
Reply-To: Bill Johnson <bjohns@DTX.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Bill Johnson <bjohns@DTX.NET>
Subject: Fw: HILL VOTES ON IP REGULATION TUESDAY: SOS
I received the following message from a pioneer of VON "voice on the
internet" This guy (Jeff Pulver) is not an alarmist or a crackpot. This
bill could affect your voice phone calls via the net. Pass this along
please and nip this in the bud.
Bill
------------------Snip----------------------------------------------
Subject: SOS: HILL VOTES ON IP REGULATION TUESDAY: SOS
SOS: HILL VOTES ON IP REGULATION TUESDAY: SOS
Need your Help to Keep Internet Telephony Regulation Free
Hi There,
The US House of Representatives is considering a bill
called "HR 1291" which, if passed, will set in motion
a cave-in to the US Bell Companies and open the door for
the FCC to regulate and impose access charges on
IP voice services.
The floor vote for this bill is on Tuesday, May 16th.
There is still time to help stop HR 1291...but our time is short.
On May 10, the House Commerce Committee took HR 1291, which was
written to prevent the FCC from imposing per-minute access charges
on ISPs, and turned it on its head by carving out an exception for
what it calls "Internet telephone" services.
The new version of the bill, which will be brought to the floor
for a vote Tuesday, May 16 allows the FCC to impose access
charges on Internet telephony "irrespective of the type of
customer premises equipment used in connection with such services" -
in other words, whether provided via phone, computer,
or some other device.
If the bill passes, it signals the FCC and other International
regulators that IP voice services can and maybe should be
regulated like circuit-switched telephony.
The bill is opposed by virtually every high tech and
Internet company and trade association.
The Republican House leadership, Speaker Hastert,
Majority Leader Armey, and Majority Whip DeLay, say that
they are moving H.R. 1291 to show that they support the
Internet community and on many issues they do...but,
on this one, they are plowing forward despite being told by the
Internet community that this is not a pro-Internet bill.
I urge you to call the switchboard of the Captial and leave
a message for your Representative that HR 1291 is a mistake.
The phone number for the the Capital Switchboard is:
+1.202.224.3121. Please also email your Representative
and the House Leadership with the message that HR 1291
is a mistake.
The Internet should remain unregulated, with no exceptions
for voice applications and services.
http://www.house.gov and http://www.house.gov/writerp will help
you locate the name and email address of your Representative.
email for the House Leadership is:
Speaker Hastert: speaker@mail.house.gov.
House Commerce Committee Chairman
- Tom Bliley: tom.bliley@mailhouse.gov
House Commerce Communications Subscommittee Chairman
- Billy Tauzin: billy.tauzin@mailhouse.gov
Please let them know that:
- If they open the door to regulating any Internet service,
it will set a terrible precedent.
- Using the Internet for voice communications is a good thing and
should not be regulated or taxed. Consumers will be hurt and
only the old monopoly telephone companies will benefit.
- Internet voice services are used mostly by low income people
for international communications, as a substitute for vastly
inflated international long-distance calls.
- Passing HR 1291 will create a new source of privacy concerns,
as companies pry apart traffic streams to determine what's "voice".
Please feel free to forward this message to anybody you know
who might be affected in the event the Internet Telephony Industry
gets regulated. The industry needs everybody's help to STOP HR 1291!
Kind regards,
Jeff
