INFORMATION AND FILINGS

View Filings by Year

2008
DATE TITLE/DESCRIPTION FORMAT VIEW
12_02 VON asks Missouri regulators not to impose rules that are technologically impractical, and legally impermissible The VON Coalition filed comments with the Missouri PSC opposing the extension of its TRS fees to Interconnected VoIP providers because it makes rules technologically impractical, and legally impermissible. PDF VIEW
11_26 High tech leaders ask for programatic reform to accelerate a broadband world The VON Coalition was joined by other high tech leaders including CCIA, ITI, NetCoalition, TechNet, and TIA in requesting the FCC to adopt comprehensive intercarrier compensation and universal service reforms that bring these regulatory regimes into the broadband world. By implementing the changes to the FCC’s various proposals supported herein, the Commission will encourage innovative communications services and applications and continue to foster more rapid deployment of broadband networks to unleash the benefits of evolving technologies for all Americans. PDF VIEW
11_11 VON urges Connecticut regulators to embrace VoIP opportunities In response to a Connecticut proceeding asking whether service quality regulations should be imposed on Internet voice technologies, VoIP leaders indicated that applications of such rules is premature, unwarranted, and counterproductive to enabling consumer to take advantage of new and better forms of communication technologies. PDF VIEW
10_28 VoIP Leaders Identify The 8 Key Components for Unleashing Consumer Benefits in Comprehensive Reform In comments to the FCC, the VON Coalition outlines the eight essential elements it believes are necessary to help unleash vast new consumer benefits, but without which could stall, stifle or stop consumers from benefiting from innovative new Internet communication technologies. PDF VIEW
10_26 VoIP leaders express deep concerns with efforts to eliminate a highly successful cornerstone of information services policy The VON Coalition expresses concern that altering today’s system by imposing telephone carrier economic regulation on information service providers would put at risk innovative broadband applications, and deployment, and is completely antithetical to the progress needed today. PDF VIEW
10_14 VON strongly opposes Frontier's backwards-looking innovation-stifling proposal to extend the broken access charge subsidy mechansim to Internet originated calls The VON Coalition urged the Commission to reject Fronteir's poorly considered forbearance petition and instead encouraged a forward looking approach to achieveing broadband benefits through comprehensive compensation reform. PDF VIEW
10_02 VON urges FCC to adopt comprehensive reforms that promote consumer VoIP benefits and encourage increasing use and deployment of broadband networks The VON Coalition urges the FCC to adopt intercarrier compensation reforms that eliminate inefficiency, empower consumers to structure their communications as they see fit, and enable innovators to deploy new services in response to consumer demand. PDF VIEW
09_25 VON urges support for broad reform instead of broadband stifling petition The VON Coalition urges the FCC to remain focused on policies that will help spur broadband enabled communication and benefits by achieving the goal of comprehensive intercarrier compensation reform this year. However, the Coalition believes that piecemeal proposals to apply access charges to VoIP are contrary to the law; harmful to innovation and consumers; and detrimental to the broader goal of comprehensive reform of a broken system. Therefore, the Commission should reject proposals to apply per minute charges to Internet communication absent comprehensive reform. PDF VIEW
09_23 VON urges Congress to set national broadband goals The VON Coalition, together with other high-tech and union leaders, urged Congressional leaders to advance legislation which would set a national next generation broadband goal of 100 megabits per second by 2015. PDF VIEW
09_09 VON asks FCC to help fully implement the NET 911 Act in order to remove the barriers that can make vital public safety technologies available in more regions and in more ways The Coalition urges the FCC to expeditiously focus on full and timely implementation of the NET 911 Act by providing direct access to the 9-1-1 network and accelerating life saving solutions for broadband voice users. PDF VIEW
09_08 VON calls on FCC to clarify that recent InterCall decision does not expand precedent or cover information services with a functionally integrated voice function VON calls upon the Commission to clarify that decision in the following two ways. First, the Commission should confirm that this decision applied existing precedent, and did not adopt a new test for what constitutes an integrated information service. Second, the Commission should clarify the reach of the InterCall decision to make clear it does not cover information services that include a functionally integrated voice communications function. PDF VIEW
09_05 VoIP leaders tell Tennessee regulators not to apply telephone rules to a broad class of Internet technologies because it would be technologically impossible to comply, and is legally impermissible The coalition responded to a proposed new set of rules that treat all Internet voice communications like telephone communication in order to charge new fees. The coalition expressed concern that the proposal is not only technologically impossible, and legally impermissible, but forcing innovative service like voice enabled blogs and voice enabled video games to have monthly phone bills is impracticle and counterproductive. PDF VIEW
07_23 VoIP Leaders Applaud New Law Unlocking Future 911 Capabilities Today, President Bush signed into law the “New and Emerging Technologies 911 Improvement Act of 2008” (H.R. 3403.) The legislation will help accelerate VoIP 911 solutions by providing direct access to the 911 network, enabling equivalent liability relief for call-takers, and requiring the creation of a national plan for a next generation 911 system that uses VoIP to provide breakthrough advances in emergency communications. PDF VIEW
07_10 High-tech leaders support single national framework for VoIP Today six major high-tech associations collectively representing the growth engines of the economy (generating billions of economic activity every year, employing millions of workers, and representing thousands of companies) filed a friend of the court brief in support of the FCC’s decision to provide a single national policy framework for VoIP. The groups include the Voice on the Net Coalition, (“VON Coalition”), the Computer & Communications Industry Association (“CCIA”), the Telecommunications Industry Association (“TIA”), the Information Technology Industry Council (“ITI”), the Information Technology Association of America (“ITAA”), and the Fiber-to-the-Home Council. PDF VIEW
07_08 VON files with court in support of FCC decision to promote competition by preventing retention marketing by incumbents VON Coalition opposes Verizon's request for a stay of the FCC's pro-competition decision. PDF VIEW
06_19 The VON Coalition and the VON Europe Coalition submit joint comments in the Australian Emergency access consultation The coalitions advance a positive and progressive framework for improving consumer awareness and advancing new emergency capabilities. PDF VIEW
06_16 VON Coalition Praises Senate Leaders For Helping Unlock 9-1-1 Solutions for VoIP VON Coalition releases statement pariaisng the Senate's unanimous consent approval of an amended version of H.R. 3403, the “New and Emerging Technologies 911 Improvement Act of 2008.” The bill is important to public safety and the VoIP industry alike. PDF VIEW
06_13 VON asks India's regulators to further open its market to VoIP opportunity By further opening its market to VoIP, consumers throughout India will be able to use VoIP to do things never thought possible, businesses may increase efficiency and productivity and transform the way they operate, and broadband enabled communications can help economies to become engines for innovation and the creation of higher-paying Information Age jobs. PDF VIEW
06_09 VON replies to Vermont Telecom petition The VON Coalitions tells the FCC that VTels has mis-stated the situation, and therefore the Commission should either deny or dismiss its petition. PDF VIEW
06_02 VON calls for a fundamental transformation of our universal service polcies from focusing on narrowband to broadband The VON Coalition files commenst with the FCC in support of a fundamental transformation of our Universal Service support mechanisms to encourage investment in and deployment of broadband to areas that might otherwise miss out on this revolution. This requires a fundamental shift in the federal Universal Service program from supporting analog narrowband communications to supporting digital broadband communications. Specifically, the VON Coalition believes that the Commission should create a Broadband Fund and transition the Universal Service Fund from analog to digital over the next five years by date certain. PDF VIEW
05_23 VON writes in support of New York A.B. 11008 Bill would prevent undue regulation of VoIP, foster VoIP driven benefits and improve the way people communicate. PDF VIEW
05_01 VON highlights the extraordinary progress, capabilities, and breakthrough advantages that VoIP technology is already enabling to improve the ways that people with disabilities can communicate VON tells House leaders that it’s now clear that VoIP technology has the potential to radically improve communications for people with disabilities. Coalition shares whitepaper demonstrating the diverse and exciting accessibility technologies that have been enabled by VoIP. They have become indispensible for many communities. But there is some concern that, given the diversity of VoIP tools and the diversity of types of disabilities, that a one-size-fits-all approach may not always be the best way to advance these technologies. PDF VIEW
05_01 VON supports New York legislation to advance VoIP opportunity VON Coalition encourages New York Senators to support SB 7664 to foster VoIP driven benefits and improve the way New Yorkers communicate. PDF VIEW
04_29 VON opposes restrictive change to FCC number porting rules The Coalition filed an opposition to the South Dakota Telecommunications Association’s request for clarification and/or reconsideration of the Commission’s interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol LNP Order. The VON Coalition believes that limiting VoIP providers to a single type of carrier is counter to the Commission’s stated number portability goal to facilitate greater competition among telephony providers. PDF VIEW
04_23 VON testifies in Senate of Phantom Traffic Group suggestes Congress proceed cautiously to avoid unintended consequences. PDF VIEW
04_21 VON submits reply comments regarding telephone number portability and additional N11 requirements for IP-enabled services providers VON reiterates its strong support for the Commission’s goal of enabling voice competition by streamlining and speeding the telephone number porting process. However it argues that changes to or adoption of additional number porting and N11 number requirements for Interconnected VoIP providers at this time is neither necessary nor justified. PDF VIEW
04_14 Joint comments to open up Oman's market to VoIP The VON Coalition and the VON Coalition Europe jointly share their view in Oman's public consultation on VoIP services on policies to help enable consumers and businesses in Oman to enjoy the full promise and potential of Internet communications. PDF VIEW
04_08 VON seeks changes to Missouri H.B. 1779 in order to ensure that consumers can take full advantage of the power and potential that Internet communication can deliver However, this bill as written could have the effect of preventing Missouri consumers from benefiting from the lower prices and robust services promised by Voice over Internet Protocol technologies. Rather than stifling Internet communication options, we encourage the Missouri legislature to take this opportunity to ensure that any legislative initiatives nurture the powerful potential that Internet based communication can deliver to consumers. PDF VIEW
04_07 VON seeks changes in California bill AB 1977 While AB 1977 seeks to address laudable goals regarding law enforcement access to customer information about 911 callers in an emergency, these goals are already being appropriately addressed at the federal level for VoIP consumers. However, covering such a vast array of Internet communication technologies in the measure is counterproductive, could hinder future life saving advances, stifle VoIP innovation while also violating federal rules. As a result, these Internet leaders are writing to seek critical changes in AB 1977 in order to ensure that California consumers can continue to take full advantage of the vast benefits that Internet based communication can deliver. PDF VIEW
03_24 VON submits comments regarding telephone number portability and additional N11 requirements for IP-enabled services Providers While the VON Coalition strongly supports the Commission’s goal of enabling voice competition by streamlining and speeding the telephone number porting process, it argues that changes to or adoption of additional number porting and N11 number requirements for Interconnected VoIP providers at this time is neither necessary nor justified. PDF VIEW
03_14 VON strongly opposes Embarq's proposal to stifle innovation by extending access charges to IP-to-PSTN voice calls No description. PDF VIEW
03_14 VON asks FCC to ensure consumers can obtain and use the content, applications, and devices they choose in order to unlock the vast potential of the Internet VON files commets regarding peer to peer traffic asking the Commission to make clear that anti-consumer degradation of VoIP traffic is a violation of the Commission’s Internet Policy Statement, enforce its Policy Statement on a case-by-case basis, and ensure that consumers receive meaningful information about the capabilities and limitations of their broadband access in their terms of service. PDF VIEW
03_07 VON Coalition Announces New Leadership The VON Coalition announced that is has elected Caitlin Clark-Zigmond of New Global Telecom as its Chair of the Board, Angela Simpson of Covad as its President, Kathleen Ham of T-Mobile as Vice President of Regulatory Affairs, Staci Pies of Skype as Vice President of State Affairs, and Paul Kenefick of Earthlink as Treasurer. The Coalition also re-elected Jamie Hedlund of Yahoo! as Vice President of Legislative Affairs; and Kevin Minsky of Microsoft as Vice President of International Affairs. PDF VIEW
02_29 VON suggests important changes be made to Minnesota legislation The VON Coalition writes to Minnesota House and Senate leaders to recommend important changes be made to S.F. 2935 and companion H.F. 3201 in order to ensure that Minnesota consumers continue to benefit from VoIP's vast potential. PDF VIEW
02_28 VON highlights concerns about Tennessee bills The VON Colaition wrote Tennessee House and Senate leaders to seek changes in HB 4180 and its companion SB 4126 in order to ensure Tenneessee consumers can benefit from VoIP's vast benefits. PDF VIEW
02_21 VON writes to Maryland delegates in opposition to H.B. 1062 which while well intentioned – could undermine federal E9-1-1 rules and put consumer safety at risk No description. PDF VIEW
02_20 VON writes to Washington state Senators to seek changes in SB 6884 to harmonize definitions with federal definitions of VoIP in order to ensure that Washington consumers can continue to take advantage of the benefits that Internet based communication can deliver No description. PDF VIEW
02_20 VON writes to Washington state representatives to seek changes in HB 3347 to harmonize definitions with federal definitions of VoIP in order to ensure that Washington consumers can continue to take advantage of the benefits that Internet based communication can deliver No description. PDF VIEW
02_08 VON writes to Colorado representatives to request that H.B. 1227 be amended to remove references to VoIP from the bill H.B. 1277 would extend Colorado’s high-cost service mechanism rules to Internet communications – in violation of federal rules. PDF VIEW
02_05 VON writes to Missouri representatives to express serious concerns regarding HB1779 The bill would significantly alter the regulatory landscape for Voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) services in ways harmful to both competition and consumers in Missouri. Enacting HB1779 would be inequitable, run counter to federal communications policy, and would harm to competition, innovation, and consumer welfare far more than the potential benefits of this proposed regulation. PDF VIEW
02_04 VON writes to Washington D.C. councilmembers in support of B17-0332 to prevent help foster VoIP driven benefits and improve the way D.C. residents communicate No description. PDF VIEW
02_04 VON writes to Pennsylvania legislators in support of SB 1000 to prevent state regulation of VoIp and help foster VoIP driven benefits and improve the way Pennsylvanian’s communicate No description. PDF VIEW
01_07 VON files comments on hearing aid compatibility No description. PDF VIEW