Should Internet phone services face the same regulations as traditional phone service?
• E.g. 911 service, payments to the Universal Service Fund • Arguments for: • States argue that telecommunications companies are using digital service to get around regulations designed to protect customers. • They note that providers still heavily rely on land-line phone services (e.g. for the person receiving the call). • The federal government is concerned about losing the ability to tap phone lines. • Arguments against • Internet phone providers argue that their product is data transmission, not telecommunications. • Regulations would raise costs and hinder the development of a new technology. • Key question: What to do to old regulations when substitute technologies are developed? • Network neutrality • High-speed Internet providers currently provide equal access to all users. • Some have proposed charging bandwidth-intensive users (e.g Google, Microsoft, Yahoo) for operating these networks. • Those that pay will receive priority for their Internet traffic. • For example, could be
