Abernathy: Wireless regulation may be a model for VoIP

Regulators should treat voice-over-IP providers with "light touch" regulations similar to the largely deregulated rules that have allowed the U.S. wireless industry to grow and thrive, FCC Commissioner Kathleen Abernathy said yesterday during a speech delivered at Michigan State University.

Abernathy noted that wireless carriers were allowed to develop unified business plans throughout the U.S. without being encumbered by state regulations. Similarly, VoIP is "inherently an interstate service" under the FCC’s jurisdiction and should not be subject to pricing and service-quality regulations imposed by states on incumbent carriers, she said.

However, Abernathy reiterated her belief that VoIP providers should be subject to social-policy obligations such as E911, CALEA and universal-service contribution.

"I have no doubt that some regulatory intervention … will be necessary to ensure that VoIP providers fulfill the same kinds of obligations," she said.

While stating her belief that IP-based communications will be dominant "in the not-too-distant future," the FCC needs to take actions that ensure more U.S. consumers have access to the broadband connections necessary for VoIP technology, Abernathy said.

"We can’t put the cart before the horse. We can’t presuppose that the broadband networks will be ubiquitous—in fact, we’re not even close to achieving that today," she said. "That’s why I think it’s critical for the FCC to continue its efforts to facilitate the deployment of the broadband infrastructure, which is that critical underlying piece of VoIP."

In addition, Abernathy noted that the rules adopted by the FCC at the conclusion of the pending VoIP proceeding may not be set in stone for even the rest of the decade.

"What we adopt for the next two to three years will likely need to be changed three or four years after that," Abernathy said. "But was important to start asking the questions."