Using Guest Speakers at FCC’s VoIP Meeting Seen as Novel Tactic
The FCC broke new ground at its agenda meeting Thurs. when it invited guest speakers to recount tragedies they encountered because their VoIP providers didn’t offer full-featured 911 service (CD May 20 p1). “In the 20 years I've watched FCC meetings, I've never seen this sort of thing,” said an industry veteran. “I've never seen anyone talk at an FCC meeting other than FCC staff,” the industry source said. “It was radically effective,” said an FCC insider: “As a precedent it could do a lot.”
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The panel of families and public safety officials spoke before the FCC voted to place 911 regulations on VoIP providers. The format was seen as an example of new FCC Chmn. Martin’s tendency to operate differently from his predecessors, and many said it was politically savvy.
Industry and FCC sources said the move was effective in 2 ways: (1) It graphically informed the public about the pitfalls of not checking to make sure a phone service offers adequate 911 service. (2) It discouraged most industry participants, and probably other FCC commissioners, from criticizing the FCC order. “It neutralized the ability of commissioners to disagree or for VoIP providers to say the order wasn’t fair,” said a source inside the agency. But, the source said, it also brought issues to the public: “We should be talking to the public. We're good at moving dollars around and that’s important, but we need to address things people are affected by, such as billing, 911.”
The panel “reached VoIP customers who might not have thought about checking to see if their company provided adequate 911 service,” said another insider. An industry observer said the panel “put VoIP on the map.” Testimony by panel members told the public, “You've got to set up your VoIP service right,” he said. Another industry official said: “This is what government is all about, informing people. Some people said the event might have been [exploitative]. I think it’s within the government’s mandate to inform the public about important policy issues.”
Only a handful of companies issued critical statements. VoIP pioneer Jeff Pulver raised concerns about the order making “technologically impossible” demands of VoIP providers. The Information Technology Assn. of America (ITAA) questioned whether the FCC overreached its authority by imposing such requirements on Internet companies but also noted the FCC action was “well intentioned.” Most of the statements were bland, said an industry official. The testimony of 3 families that suffered terrible experiences because of 911 failures “made it impossible for anyone to say anything” critical, the official said.