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ITSPA responds to long-awaited Ofcom VoIP statement
2007-04-04
Although they are broadly acceptable, ITSPA is wary that the detail of the new rules may have unfortunate implications for UK businesses and consumers. Whilst ITSPA will work closely with Ofcom to ensure that the regulatory environment continues to run as smoothly as it does now, members have expressed a number of fundamental concerns with the statement.
• That Voice over IP will be subject to a stricter regulatory framework than any other technology within the UK telecommunications industry.
• These new regulations will be particularly hard to enforce against providers who are based overseas, but market their services within the UK. This will be a significant threat to the UK consumer, who may not be aware of the disparity.
• The extra regulatory costs that Ofcom’s rules impose put the UK VoIP industry at a competitive disadvantage against international competitors, and risk hindering the creative development of the industry at an early stage.
Background information to this article:
ITSPA has highlighted these important issues to Ofcom on a number of occasions. The move from a ‘light-touch’ approach towards a more rigid regulatory framework will have a significant impact on the industry, which ITSPA will monitor closely as it develops.
ITSPA exists to:
• Encourage the innovation and development of the VoIP industry through the promotion of self-regulation and competition;
• Lobby Ofcom, the UK Government and the European institutions to ensure the UK and Europe remain the most favourable environment in which to run a VoIP business and in which to be a VoIP customer;
• Respond to UK Government and European regulators on behalf of its members;
• Investigate solutions for industry, including fraud black lists, peering and interoperability;
• Reassure Consumers that any product or service bought from a company displaying the ITSPA logo comes with a high standard of consumer protection, which is properly enforced and includes a dispute resolution procedure.
ITSPA believes in:
• The benefits of self-regulation to promote the growing VoIP sector;
• The need to foster a truly competitive and innovative market where VoIP providers can compete with existing telecoms providers on a level playing field;
• The facilitation of the provision of “naked DSL” (i.e. the provision of broadband access without needing to also pay for telephone line rental);
• Open, non-discriminatory access through all Broadband ISPs (i.e. ISPs should not block/hinder customers from using third party VoIP providers);
• The promotion of best efforts provision of access to emergency services and the provision of accurate information to the consumer about the level of access to emergency services available to them;
• Effective and competitively priced Local Loop Unbundling;
• The use of geographic numbers for VoIP providers;
• Efficient and competitively priced number portability (i.e. the ability to transfer/retain your phone number when you change service provider).
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