Israeli ISPs may not carry int’l calls over VoIP

Take a look at this story. Is it technically feasible for ISPs to enforce this? Do you agree with the reasons for this action that were given by Mr. Balashnikov? Do you think it is right to effectively protect incumbents ("licensed international carriers")?

Technorati Tags:
VoIP

VeriSign, ICANN face antitrust lawsuits

This article is interesting ... what does this say about the experiment of "private regulation" that ICANN embodied? That is, ICANN was an attempt to encourage private sector leadership in the governance of the Internet. Does this governance require a single arbiter of names and addresses? If so, what is the relationship between this function and anti-monopoly laws? Can the two coexist? Does this suggest that governance should be modified, perhaps along the lines suggested by several parties at the recent WSIS meeting?

Technorati Tags:
ICANN, Internet, WSIS

New Public Consultations on the EU Regulatory Framework

Please take note of this announcement on a new series of pulic consultations with regard to the EU Regulatory framework. Why is this consultation being undertaken? What results would you expect from this process? Given what you know, what questions in the consulation document would you be able to answer, and what input would you provide to the EC?

Technorati Tags:
ITelecommunications, Europe, EU

The future of the Internet

In addition to the article referred to earlier on New Zealand, here are two articles that discuss some issues facing the Internet in the future. The first addresses potential abuses by the owners of the so-called "bottleneck facilities" -- the facilities we use to gain access to the content and applications that are provided on the Internet. These "bottleneck facilities" have almost always been the access network. The article goes on to address questions about the proposed legislation that is being discussed in Congress.

The second article points out some possible futures of the Internet and their consequences. In particular, Doc Searles paints three scenarios, one in which the carriers (i.e. Verizon and AT&T) win, one in which municipal networks emerge to form an alternative, and a third in which the Internet community moves toward a future that is outside the context of the traditional content/carrier framework.

To what extent should these concerns and arguments be reflected in a new telecommunications act? Can/should regulations exist that restrict the behavior of the owners of "bottleneck facilities"? If you think so, why do you believe that setting guidelines today would not create regulatory difficulties like those that stimulated the Telecommunications Act of 1996?

Technorati Tags:
Internet, Telecommunications, broadband

Funding for Rural Internet in the US

As a follow-up to our discussion of developing countries, here is an article (free registration required) describing the goals and problems faced by potential users of a program designed to bring broadband Internet to rural areas. While many rural areas in the US hardly qualify as "developing areas" (including the one described here), others might. What are the benefits of using a program such as this one? Could a program like this be implemented effectively outside the US (albeit with different funding agencies)? How would you overcome some of the problems described in the article?

Technorati Tags:
Internet