FCC Commissioners voted 4-to-1 to approve a Declaratory Ruling that pulver.com’s Free World Dialup (FWD) service is neither a “telecommunications service” nor “telecommunications,” and therefore not subject to traditional telephone regulation. The FCC also declared FWD to be an unregulated information service that is subject to federal jurisdiction.
Pulver’s FWD allows users of broadband Internet access services to make VoIP or other types of peer-to-peer communications directly to other FWD members, without charge.
FCC Commissioner Michael K. Powell said today’s ruling “formalizes the Commission’s policy of “non-regulation” of the Internet and, in so doing, preserves the Internet as a free and open platform for innovation. Just as important, today’s ruling removes barriers to investment and deployment of Internet applications and services by and ensuring that Internet applications remain insulated from unnecessary and harmful economic regulation at both the federal and state levels.”
The only vote against Pulver’s petition was from Commissioner Michael J. Copps, who said the ruling “presents stark challenges for law enforcement and has implications for universal service, public safety and state and federal relationships that we have yet to untangle or assess. http://www.fcc.gov
