Excluding broadband cost, why is VoIP cheaper?
Internet protocol networks are more cost effective to operate than regular phone networks. VoIP also so far has escaped many taxes and regulatory fees levied on traditional calls. Q: Will that change? A: Maybe. The Federal Communications Commission is expected to impose the type of universal service fee, perhaps $1 per connection, levied on regular phones to fund rural phones. The FCC is also considering making VoIP providers pay local phone companies higher fees to connect calls to their networks. Q: Where can I get VoIP? A: Choices are growing. Cable operator Time Warner on Monday said it plans to sell home VoIP on its systems. Qwest launched VoIP this week in Minneapolis/St. Paul and hopes to expand. AT&T will offer VoIP in several big cities early next year. Start-ups, such as Vonage, are expanding, too. Q: Is the quality as good as my regular phone? A: It didn’t used to be. Garbled and choppy calls were common. VoIP now is roughly equivalent to regular phone service and often bett
