http://www.globetechnology.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20040513.gtrvoipus13/BNStory/Technology/
By BARRIE McKENNA
Globe and Mail Update
WASHINGTON A resident of Portland, Ore., can call Miami -- 5,300
kilometres away -- for about 7 cents a minute. But a quick chat with
someone in Eugene, Ore. -- barely an hour's drive away -- costs more
than twice as much.
That kind of extreme price anomaly has set the stage for an explosion
of Internet-based phone traffic across the United States.
Newly developed Voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) technology has
made it possible to turn voice traffic into data and vice versa.
More importantly, it allows aspiring local providers to duck hefty
state taxes as well as access charges levied by the regional "Baby
Bells," such as SBC Communications Inc., Qwest Corp. or Verizon Inc.
U.S. regulators insist they love VoIP, and want to do everything
possible to help the business flourish. But a batch of recent court
cases, and competing industry interests, are already shaping the
regulatory landscape of Internet phone service.
"I think [VoIP] is going to turn the telephone industry on its head,"
U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman Michael Powell
told a recent industry conference.
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