« June 2004 | Main | August 2004 »
July 31, 2004
Mandarin Oriental DC: A hotel still in Beta
July 29-31 2004 Visit
Mandarin Oriental DC: Great looking hotel. Not all of the restaurants were open yet.
First time I've ever had a Cisco 7940 phone in a hotel room and a Samsung HD flatscreen TV in the room which had access to the Voom HD Network. Great looking picture.
First time in a long time that the broadband connectivity in a hotel really was high-speed.
They put us up on the club floor -- but club not yet open.
As a special inceptive, they are offering a special introductory price and one night free. It worked for me.
The hotel has a great view but is really not near much other than the FCC.
Hopefully this five star hotel will survive and get the support it deserves from the DC business community.
Posted by jeff at 09:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Presenting at CRTC Public Meeting - Sept 21-23 in Quebec
This week I learned that I made it to the list of presenters (#20 of 33) at the CRTC public meeting, which is scheduled for September 21-23 in Gatineau, Quebec.
At this hearing, each party will be allotted a maximum of 20 minutes to make their presentation, followed, as necessary, by Commission questions. After all parties have made their presentations, parties wishing to make a closing statement will be allotted a maximum of 5 minutes to do so. The order for the making of the closing statements will be the reverse of the order of the opening statements.
Order of Appearance for Public Consultation Regulatory framework for voice communication services using Internet Protocol:
1 Primus Telecommunications Canada Inc.
2 Vonage Holdings Corp.
3 Comwave Telecom Inc
4 Aliant Telecom Inc. (Aliant),* Bell Canada,* Saskatchewan Telecommunications (SaskTel)*, and Télébec, société en commandite (Télébec)*
5 TELUS Communications Inc.
6 Northwestel Inc.
7 British Columbia Public Interest Advocacy Centre
8 Public Interest Advocacy Centre
9 ARCH
10 Microcell Solutions Inc.
11 Coalition for Competitive Telecommunications Pricing
12 Ontario 9-1-1- Advisory Board**
13 City of Calgary**
14 Greater Vancouver Regional District**
15 Association des centres d’urgence 9-1-1 du Québec**
16 Union des municipalities du Québec**
17 Yak Communications (Canada) Inc.
18 Call-Net Enterprises Inc.
19 MTS Allstream Inc.
20 Pulver.com
21 Cybersurf Corp***
22 Canadian Association of Internet Providers***
23 AT&T Global Services Canada Co
24 Telecommunications Workers Union
25 Nortel Networks
26 Alcatel Canada Inc.
27 Canadian Cable Television Association****
28 Rogers Communications Inc.****
29 Cogeco Cable Canada Inc.****
30 Québecor Média inc.
31 FCI Broadband
32 XIT Telecom Inc
33 WorldCom Canada Ltd
I am looking forward to participating in the Canadian Regulatory Process.
Posted by jeff at 08:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
It's Almost August...
2004 is a year that seems to be going by real fast.
I just find it incredible that yet another month has just about gone by and tomorrow it will be August.
Hopefully the Mets will still be in the pennant chase when September begins.
Posted by jeff at 06:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Pulver Slams Senate VoIP Vote -- News at 11
While speaking at the FCC on Friday during the FCC's Global Forum, I took advantage of the opportunity to speak about the current state of VoIP regulation in the US and around the world. Published news accounts from this meeting include:
Posted by jeff at 12:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
July 30, 2004
Looking for more Volunteers to answer FWD's 55555 Line
With the continued growth of Free World Dialup, we can use some more Volunteers who have time to staff our 55555 welcome line.
If you are interested in becoming one of the FWD Volunteers, please email: jeff.pulver@gmail.com
Posted by jeff at 05:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
My Testimony at the FCC Global Forum: Panel I - July 30, 2004
The following are my planned opening remarks for panel I of the FCC Global Forum taking place later today at the FCC in Washington, D.C.
The entire event will be available for viewing via the FCC webcast.
Thank you for inviting me to participate today in the Commission’s Global IP Forum.
I’m Jeff Pulver. As the President and CEO of pulver.com, I oversee about 20 operating companies, each of which is involved, in one way or another, in promoting IP communications. I manufacture IP communications devices, both wireless and wireline; I produce software to help facilitate IP communications; I publish VON Magazine, a magazine devoted to exploring the issues surrounding Voice on the Net. I also host the Voice on the Net Conferences. Each VON Conference draws thousands of attendees from dozens of countries and hundreds of companies around the world. I like to think that, through the VON Conferences, pulver.com has helped to spur the growth of IP communications and has provided essential thought leadership for the emerging industry, spurring innovation and more rapid adoption of IP communications.
I became a full-time VoIP hobbyist in 1995, combining my passion for community and technology and connecting my Ham Radio to the Internet to communicate with people around the world. This overall perspective drives my passion for Free World Dialup, which over the years has evolved into a peer-to-peer IP communications application. Today Free World Dialup provides IP-based communications services to more than a quarter-million Internet enthusiasts in some 185 countries around the world. Free World Dialup was, in fact, the subject of the Commission’s first order, and perhaps the world’s first positive regulatory statement, on IP communications. I applaud this Commission for its timely adoption of the pulver Order. If other countries would follow the lead established by the pulver Order, I am optimistic about the future and possibilities that IP communications affords.
I, however, am concerned that many countries might not follow the lead established by this Commission. Frankly, I am even concerned that this country might backtrack from the forward-looking thinking that inspired the pulver Order. I see Canada’s CRTC taking a critical looking at VoIP and suggesting that some carriers should not be allowed to take full advantage of IP technology to provide innovative services. I see the European Union suggesting that VoIP services might be subjected to onerous regulatory restriction. A similar proceeding has been opened in Australia and more will follow around the world.
And now there are rumblings here in the United States, both at the state and Federal level, that the nascent industry should be subject to archaic telecom regulations that never contemplated the empowering capabilities of IP communications. Just last week, in a bizarre last-minute procedural maneuver, an amendment was attached to what was intended to be the Sununu VoIP Freedom Bill, that would, arguably, subject even X-Boxers to paying into the universal service and intercarrier compensation support systems, simply because X-Box utilizes a voice application. This certainly runs counter to the logic of the pulver Order, and will only serve to stifle the growth of IP communications. This leaves me in the position to lead the charge against the bill if it were to be put up to vote as amended. I expect the 2005/2006 season to be a pivotal one for IP Communication regulation around the world.
Finally, I want to mention at the outset of this discussion, that I have established the Global IP Alliance, an international consortium of IP-based communications providers committed to realizing the promise of interconnecting IP-based communications. Among other things, the Global IP Alliance is committed to establishing industry-based solutions to the operational hurdles and social issues confronting the emerging IP communications industry. It is my hope that regulators around the World will look to the Global IP Alliance and recognize that the IP industry is capable of self-governance and will not feel compelled to intercede before a clear demonstration of a problem that cannot be fixed by industry and competitive market forces.
Thank you for allowing me to participate here today. I look forward to your questions and this discussion.
Posted by jeff at 07:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Apple to RealNetworks: You're a Hacker!
Macwork UK:No Harmony in Real v Apple dispute
"We are stunned that RealNetworks has adopted the tactics and ethics of a hacker to break into the iPod." - Apple Statement yesterday
Posted by jeff at 06:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Looking for more Beta Testers for pulver.Communicator
Work continues on our new software product, pulver.Communicator. The Pulver team has been very excited by our first iteration and the possibilities of where it can lead us to. The feedback received by the group of people participating in the first phase of the beta testing have provided great feedback.
We will soon be expanding our beta test community and you are invited to apply to join our next group of beta testers.
We will hand selected a limited number of new beta testers based upon the information you provide. We expect this testing to last for 2-4 weeks, and would like to potentially talk with you once a week (at your convenience) and we may send you a few questions through email.
Our ability to support the software is (at this point) only on Windows XP and Windows 2000. One thing we are looking for are for people who use their Free World Dialup number and leverage the FWD network.
We've been working to develop an application that combines the elements of Instant Messaging, Presence, Voice and Social Networking.
If I've piqued your interest and you can commit to giving us good feedback, please click here to apply to join the Beta II testing of pulver.Communicator.
Posted by jeff at 12:52 AM | Permalink
July 29, 2004
FBI CALEA Petition on FCC Agenda for August 4
The August 4th FCC Meeting may be a historic one, now that the FBI/DOJ/DEA CALEA Petition has made it to the meeting agenda.
The FCC's ruling on this petition will have a direct effect on the state of IP Communications in the US and will influence the pending VoIP legislation in the House and Senate.
Posted by jeff at 10:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Getting Ready for FCC Global Roundtable
Later this morning I will be driving down once again to Washington, D.C.
This time around I am looking forward to being one of the panelists at the FCC's Internet Policy Working Group (IPWG) meeting that will be taking place tomorrow at the FCC from 9:30 to 12:30 PM.
The meeting, a "Global Roundtable Discussion" will be looking at the international issues associated with the migration of communication services and applications to IP-based technologies.
I'm looking forward to participating at this event and catching up with friends while I'm in town.
Posted by jeff at 08:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Seems like Old Times...But Better!
Fall 2004 VON Conference & Expo will be taking place October 18-21 in Boston.
Our "Early Bird" registration is open and from the few weeks that we have been processing registrations for the event, we already we are tracking to have one of our largest conference communities in recent memory.
I am expecting quite a few significant VoIP related news announcements to happen the week of October 18th when our sold-out exhibit floor opens the night of October 18th. There are a healthy number of companies making their first appearance at a VON event.
One activity which we have not yet formally announced but we are close to having is our very own "Celebrity Poker Tournament" which will raise money for charity and will be hosted by an old friend
and long-time star in the World Series of Poker. I hope to formally announcement this activity sometime in August.
VoIP continues to happen around the world and I'm looking forward to catching up with old friends and making new ones when Fall 2004 VON happens.
Posted by jeff at 07:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
July 28, 2004
2004: The Year of Best Efforts Telephony
While stories of new consumer VoIP service offerings continue to capture news around the world, I’ve started to wonder what the medium to long term effects of consumer perceptions will be to the brands of “traditional” telcos for introducing “Best Efforts” telephony services.
While the experience a US consumer has had with their mobile phone may have helped lower expectations for “quality of service”, when it comes to voice over broadband services, what is the quality expected? What quality needs to be delivered? Will the advent of the availability of broadband voice services from an incumbent provider of voice services effect their “traditional” branding of other phone services? Do consumers want or care about having different levels of service associated with their phone service? In 2004 is price alone the only differentiator or are there other drivers/variables?
One thing is for certain; this isn’t your father’s PSTN.
For years at our Voice on the Net (“VON”) events people have been talking about qualify of service and the “five nines” of reliability associated with the traditional public switched telephone network (“PSTN”). While five nines are expected on the PSTN, I expect over time we will see the ability to easily deliver at least four nines of reliability using the public internet. Even Free World Dialup can deliver three nines.
With the advent of IP based communications, it has been possible for service providers to deliver best effort communication services, including “voice” services without having to also own the underlying network infrastructure. In this model, it is assumed that the customer/consumer will purchase their broadband access on their own. This is a radical departure of the past for incumbent service providers.
The list of incumbent mainstream “broadband parasites” which have been taking advantage of this new technology platform has been steadily growing during the past twelve months and will continue to grow around the world for the foreseeable future.
While I haven’t heard of many incumbent service providers positioning their VoIP offerings as a secondary phone service or as a true “best efforts” brand when marketing to consumers, maybe they should. When delivered over the public internet, voice over broadband services are by my definitions “best effort” services.
The incremental costs for hands-on customer support needs to be factored in when creating the budgets for the roll-out strategy. Just because the technology is widely available to enable voice over broadband doesn’t mean that the need for customer hand-holding has gone away. Some communication service providers will end up getting blindsided by their underestimation of the costs for customer support / customer service for their new broadband based VoIP services. These days delivering standards-based real-time communication services into the homes of broadband consumers still remains a major challenge.
One area where the cable industry may have a strategic advantage over incumbents is when they offer VoIP services to their respective cable customers. In theory, the cable operator can offer quality of service over their backbone and can maintain that quality on an end-to-end basis. It will be interesting to observe how much this theory holds true in practice. ;-)
Posted by jeff at 12:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
July 27, 2004
NY Times Story on VoIP Regulation
New York Times: Battle Brews on Regulation of Internet-Based Telephone Service
Posted by jeff at 10:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Camp Jam Atlanta: My kind of Summer Camp
Camp Jam Atlanta is my kind of Summer Camp - a Rock 'N Roll summer day camp.
"No Canoes - Lots of Rock"
Too bad campers are limited to being in the 11-18 age group.
Maybe next summer they will launch a summer fantasy Camp Jam for the parents too!
Posted by jeff at 05:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Communications Workers of America: Continue Opposition to VoIP
Last week, prior to the markup session, the Communications Workers of America (CWA) sent a letter to Senate Commerce Committee Committee Chairman John McCain asking senators to oppose the Sununu Bill.
As an ironic twist, in a bizarre last-minute procedural maneuver, an amendment was attached to what was intended to be the Sununu VoIP Freedom Bill that would now have me lead me the opposition to the bill in the unlikely the event it goes up as amended for a vote in the Senate.
Anyone up for another Internet Freedom Rally?
Posted by jeff at 06:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
July 26, 2004
Recap of Friday's House Judiciary Committee Hearing on VoIP
Covered by Deseret News.com: States fear tax effects of voice-over-Net services .
Posted by jeff at 07:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
FCC's Global Roundtable: July 30th
On Friday I will be in Washington DC again to take part in the first panel at the FCC's Global Roundtable Discussion, "Industry and Financial Community Perspectives on International Issues Associated with Migration to IP-Based Services."
The other Panel I panelists include:
- Jeffrey Young, Chief Technical Officer, Alcatel IP Division
- Kristen Verderame, Vice President, US Regulation & Government Relations, British Telecom Americas
- Mary Brown, Senior Telecommunications Policy Counsel, Cisco Systems
- Jonathan Draluck, Vice President of Business Affairs and General Counsel, iBasis
- Glen Campbell, Telecom & Cable Analyst, Merrill Lynch Canada
- Al Safarikas, Vice President Wireline Networks, Nortel Networks
I am looking forward to the roundtable discussion which will focus on the international issues associated with the migration of communications services and applications to IP-based technologies.
Posted by jeff at 01:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
July 25, 2004
RealNetworks delivers Music for iPod Users
CNET: RealNetworks breaks Apple's hold on iPod
Interesting...
Posted by jeff at 11:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Mixing Comedy and Business:Second City's Consulting Arm
It turns out that in Chicago, even Comics Get Down to Business.
Second City Comedy's consulting arm, Second City Communications seems to have an interesting approach to corporate business skill training. I'm going to inquire what services they may be able to offer pulver.com.
Posted by jeff at 11:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Back to the Broadband World...
After spending a retro weekend away in rural New York State living on dialup, it's great to be back home living with broadband once again.
Posted by jeff at 09:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Virtual Numbers covered in the New York Times
Amid the Palm Trees, Area Code 212
Posted by jeff at 07:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Rise of the Broadband Parasites: Part II
About fourteen months ago I first spoke about the Rise of the Broadband Parasites at a Goldman Sachs event and I blogged it about a year ago. I stand by my observations regarding Broadband Parasites.
Following my prediction, in the past year, a few incumbent service providers decided to roll out VoIP services, and join my growing list of international Broadband Parasites. The most recent incumbent to join this list was Verizon. Twelve months from now I expect this list to include significantly more service providers.
As the Broadband Parasite population grows and as technologies such as ENUM are used in production environments, the amount of traffic that service providers pass to the PSTN for termination and delivery will be reduced. Instead such traffic will contribute to an increasing amount of end-to-end IP traffic and over the next 18-36 months, chances are that we may experience a cross-over point where the effects of the IP Communications revolution will be felt.
Hopefully IP Communications will be able to continue to grow in an unfettered manner with respect to worldwide regulation during this time.
Posted by jeff at 12:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
July 24, 2004
Fly Fishing in Deposit, NY
Posted by jeff at 05:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
A River Runs Thru It…and a Rail Road too!
My weekend getaway to a log cabin in rural New York State has lived up to the hype. My cell phone lost coverage about 100 miles ago and I’m reliving 1995 with a 14.4k dialup connection. I’m trying my best to deal without having broadband and being able to check my email as often as I normally do.
So far I have been spending some of my time taking in the natural beauty of the flowing stream and the quiet of the natural surroundings around me…well almost quiet since every once in a while a train comes thru and I’m close enough to the train tracks to hear every train. ;-)
During the day there have been quite a few people fly fishing in the river, living up to the pictures which sold me on this place in the first place.
Posted by jeff at 07:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
July 23, 2004
Fall 2004 VON will be our Biggest event...ever!
At Fall 2004 VON Conference and Expo we are expecting a community size of around 5,000 people.
This means that when Fall 2004 VON happens in Boston in October, it will be the largest pure-play international VoIP event ever -- passing the 4,000+ people who were a part of Spring 2000 VON in San Jose.
Posted by jeff at 07:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
House Judiciary Hearing Scheduled for 10:00 AM EDT Today in DC
The House Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law will be holding a VoIP hearing today at 10:00 a.m.
This hearing will be exploring the Regulatory Aspects of Voice Over the Internet Protocol
(VoIP).
This hearing will be webcast live starting at 10:00 AM EDT.
Posted by jeff at 07:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Skype Announces Relationships with: COLT, iBasis, Level 3, Teleglobe
Skype has chosen: COLT, iBasis, Level 3 andTeleglobe as their call termination partners for their SkypeOut service.
Given this announcement, there are a few subtle things to look for:
- It will be interesting to see which (if any) of these service providers are able to terminate calls using the wideband GIPS Codec that Skype users have been using.
Chances are pretty high that at least in the beginning, SkypeOut calls will terminate using G.729a and perhaps G.711. This means that the quality of the SkypeOut calls will sound only as good as any other service provider who offers termination services onto the PSTN.
- Given the international wiretap/E911 requirements of their service provider partners, it will be interesting to see which, if any of the SkypeOut calls still use encryption.
- Based on their selected termination partners, chances are pretty good that somewhere in the Skype Network there is now a gateway that is coverting the Skype protocol to either H.323 or SIP.
Over time, look for this announcement to also help drive additional incremental business / traffic to: COLT, iBasis, Level 3 and Teleglobe as others decide to follow in Skype's footsteps.
Posted by jeff at 06:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
2005 SIP Summit Schedule Set
In 2005, pulver.com will be producing two SIP Summits, one in the Winter and another in the Summer.
Jan 16-18 2005: Winter 2005 SIP Summit - co located at PTC 2005 in Honolulu, Hawaii
June 6-8 2005: Summer 2005 SIP Summit - co-located at Supercomm 2005 in Chicago, IL
Posted by jeff at 12:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Dial-up Fly Fishing
This weekend I will be spending time in rural New York State, staying in an area famous for it's fly fishing.
For me this means that I'm leaving the alway-on world of broadband for a long couple of days. Other people would call this a "vacation."
Posted by jeff at 12:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
July 22, 2004
7/22 Update on Sununu Bill
The Senate Commerce Committee held a mark-up of the Sununu-Stevens-McCain VoIP Bill -- a revised, tailored-down, much more general version of the earlier Sununu Bill. The revised bill does not attempt to categorize VoIP as either telecom or information service. Nor does the Bill address the many social policy issues considered more specifically in the earlier bill. The Bill, as revised, was simply intended to broadly preempt state regulatory authority over VoIP for 3 years. Two amendments, however, undercut the scope of Federal preemption and would allow for state regulation over at least some flavors of VoIP. The Dorgan Amendment (which passed 12-10) does not preempt states from assessing Universal Service on VoIP and allowing recovery of intrastate access charges on VoIP calls. A second amendment, proposed by Senators Burns and Nelson (and passed 13-9), allows for state authority to mandate E911 compliance by "connected" VoIP providers. The language of the E911 amendment has not yet been approved and will attempt to balance what appears to be Burns goal of mandatory compliance with E911 obligations (at least by POTS replacement VoIP services) with Sununu's goal of promoting voluntary industry-based solutions. The Bill with the two Amendments passed through Committee 13-9.
We expect Rep. Pickering to revise and reintroduce his House corollary bill to track the new language and scope of the Sununu Bill (without the Dorgan and Burns amended language, although, most likely, a couple Representatives on the House Energy and Commerce Committee will offer similar amendments).
Our initial take is that no VoIP legislation is likely to pass this Congress, but the Bills will guide debate at the FCC and in the States and serve as the base point for a possible rewrite next Congress.
Posted by jeff at 04:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Another Huge Day for VoIP in the USA: Verizon launching Consumer VoIP service today!
Today Verizon will be launching their nationwide Consumer VoIP service.
This is yet another very significant announcement and event in the history of VoIP in the US and around the world and will be another reason why consumers will learn about the possibilities of IP Communications.
The 11:30 AM scheduled press conference with the President of Verizon's consumer division, Bob Ingalls, should provide some additional insights to the strategic plans and directions for this new service.
It just about this day back in July, 1996, that Intel and Microsoft got together to announce their intentions to enter into the VoIP marketplace and took the first try at introducing a standard for VoIP.
It is amazing to for me to see how much has changed in the world of VoIP and how much has been achieved by the VoIP industry in the past eight years.
Congrats to Verizon to the launch of their new VoIP service.
Posted by jeff at 07:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
July 21, 2004
Just another night in East Hampton
Earlier this evening I found myself at dinner with friends at the Palm Resturant in East Hampton on Long Island.
During the two hours that I was at the Palm, Ron Perelman and Ellen Barkin sat down for dinner. While we were having our dessert, Sarah Jessica Parker, Matthew Broderick, Jerry Seinfield and his wife sat down together for dinner.
Not bad for an otherwise slow Wednesday evening in East Hampton.
Posted by jeff at 11:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
The Politics of VoIP: Update on the Sununu Bill
The most recent news I received from Washington this evening was from Jim Kohlenberger of the VON Coalition. Jim reports that there may be a new Sununu/Stevens three year moratorium alternative that will essentially replace the original Sununu bill.
Given the choice, the new Sununu/Stevens moratorium will be a much better alternative than the growing list of amendments and a
growing list of amendments to those amendments.
While everything can still change, the current draft of the new Sununu/Stevens moratorium generally would:
- Declare that VoIP regulation is under exclusive federal jurisdiction and will prevent states from regulating VoIP.
- Preserve a state's ability to generally protect consumers regarding doing business in a state.
- Define VoIP generally and maintains the original Sununu exclusion of phone to phone VoIP
Hopefully this will go forward as the preferred alternative bill.
Posted by jeff at 11:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Sununu Bill: McCain amendment on CALEA
"Nothing in this Act shall be construed to modify, impair, or
supersede the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (47
U.S.C. 1001 et seq.) or the authority of the Commission thereunder,
nor shall anything in this Act alter the obligation of a provider of
a VOIP application to furnish to an authorized law enforcement
agency, pursuant to a court order under chapter 119 of Part I or
chapter 206 of Part II of title 18, United States Code, or under
comparable provisions of state law, or under the Foreign Intelligence
Surveillance Act of 1978 as amended (50 USC 1801 et seq.), all
information, facilities, and technical assistance necessary to
accomplish an interception or the installation of a pen register or
trap and trace device."
Posted by jeff at 11:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Fall 2004 VON Conference: Schedule Update
The schedule for our Fall 2004 VON Conference continues
to get updated on a daily basis.
Our current list of confirmed Industry Perspectives and Keynotes at Fall 2004 VON include:
- FCC Chairman Michael Powell
- Senator John Sununu, New Hampshire
- Cathy Martine, Senior Vice President, Internet Telephony, AT&T
- Shabtai Adlersberg, CEO & President, AudioCodes
- Denzil Samuels, VP, Service Provider Division, Avaya
- Deb Lenart, President & CEO, Callipso
- Charles Giancarlo, Sr. VP & CTO, Cisco Systems
- Peter Briscoe, President & CEO, Convedia
- Marc Zionts, CEO, Excel Swtiching
- Christopher Fine, Vice President, Goldman Sachs
- Jack Waters, EVP, CTO & President Voice Technologies, Level(3) Communications
- Brough Turner, SVP & CTO, NMS Communications
- John Yoakum, Emerging Opportunities, Nortel Networks
- Jeff Pulver, CEO, pulver.com
- Joseph Licata, President, Enterprise Networks Division, Siemens Information & Communication Networks
- Hassan Ahmed, President & CEO, Sonus Networks
- Val Babajov, President & CEO, Webmessenger
"Early Bird" Registration is now open.
I'm looking forward to catching up with worldwide IP Communications Industry when Fall VON happens in October.
Posted by jeff at 09:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
VoIP: Hot Topic on Capitol Hill: July 22nd and 23rd
VoIP will be making the news once again in Washington DC when the Sununu Bill goes thru the markup process in the Senate tomorrow. It will be interesting to watch which additional items end up getting attached to the Bill.
VoIP will remain in the news in DC on Friday when the House Judiciary Committee takes a look at both the Pulver Order and the AT&T order.
Jonathan Askin will be attending both proceedings and will be keeping a watchful ear and eye on the process.
Posted by jeff at 02:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
July 20, 2004
Back in Oakland at Gate 9...
I find myself once again at Gate 9 at the Oakland airport waiting for my return flight home on jetBlue.
VoIP continues to be a very hot topic amongst some friends in Silicon Valley....
Posted by jeff at 05:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Watching the Cubs/Cards Game from 35,000 Feet!
Every day jetBlue helps to redefine commercial aviation and the end-user experience.
Last night while flying on jetBlue from JFK to Oakland, California I spent some of my time watching the Cubs/Cards game on ESPN. While I was rooting for the Cubs, it was only this morning that I realized how cool it really was to be able to take for granted the fact that on jetBlue, DirecTV just works.
While the chances are pretty high that if I was at home watching TV at the same time, I would have chosen to watch the Mets/Marlins game….but given the reality of where I was and the 5 ½ hours of flight time, being able to spend part of the time watching TV, catching up with the news followed by a baseball game, it was a great way to help pass the time.
For me, at the moment, the only thing which would make flying on jetBlue even better will be when they provide Wi-Fi on their planes and provide a power cord jack in their seats.
jetBlue has made flying fun again.
Posted by jeff at 10:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
July 19, 2004
VoIP Primed and Hungry for VC Funding -- Yankee Group
According to press release issued this morning, VoIP Primed and Hungry for VC Funding and Deployment, Yankee Group expects significant Venture investing in the VoIP sector by 2005 and for it to grow by 20 to 30 percent. By 2008 they expect VoIP to be 30 percent of all telecom investments, up from 6.12 percent today.
Looks like the market will also be primed to pay for some related VoIP Analyst reports along the way. ;-)
Posted by jeff at 09:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Another jetBlue Day...
Later today I will be flying my favorite airline to attend a meeting tomorrow morning in Silicon Valley.
This will be followed by a return flight leaving for New York in the afternoon.
I'm looking forward to my trip and yet another chance to observe the jetBlue approach to travel. :-)
Posted by jeff at 06:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Monday Morning VoIP Buzz
Recent stories in the business and consumer press have continued to help increase the worldwide VoIP Buzz.
At the moment, Google shows: 4,880,000 web hits and 3,340 News hits on the term VoIP.
This represents an incremental increase of 340,000 web hits since I last checked on June 28th.
Then again, by comparing today's information to the snapshot I took on January 10th that yielded: 2,080,0000 website hits, and 1,160 news stories it is easy to see how 2004 has been the year that global awareness of VoIP has happened.
Posted by jeff at 06:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
VoIP in Japan: >50% Adoption expected by 2008!
In a story published in the Daily Yomiuri, BUSINESS FRONT LINE: NTT Comware sees big future for VoIP, NTT Comware president Yuju Imai, talks about the growth of VoIP in Japan.
I found it interesting that "...In addition to offering VoIP solutions, NTT Comware focuses on open-source software in its system integration business. NTT Comware's VoIP solutions employ some open-source software."
Posted by jeff at 12:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
July 18, 2004
Aspen Summit 2004: Just registered
I just registered to attend "Aspen Summit", taking place August 22-24 in Aspen, CO. This is the Progress & Freedom Foundation's annual event in Aspen.
This year they will be exploring the Future of the Internet.
Posted by jeff at 02:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Beta Testing of pulver.Communicator has Begun
After receiving well over a hundred qualified responses in about 24 hours from the posting: Looking for IP Communication Visionaries, the beta program for pulver.Communicator was launched.
pulver.Communicator is an application built from the ground-up which is my attempt to deliver an application that combines the features of: instant messaging, presence, VoIP and social networking running on top of the Free World Dialup network. pulver.Communicator is an example of what someone can do with IP based communications that is just not possible using the public switched telephone network.
The early feedback received has been encouraging and mostly positive. A couple of friends have chosen to blog their experiences: Andy Abramson, Packet 8, Pulver Communicator and Other Experiences Continued, Ted Shelton, pulver.Communicator Beta Test.
I look forward to watching pulver.Communicator evolve based on the feedback received from our beta test community.
Posted by jeff at 09:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Washington Post VoIP Story
"...Today people look at it almost as a fashion statement, but the reality is that the fundamental shift to [Internet]-based telecommunications will change the face of telecommunications forever." -- Jeff Pulver
Posted by jeff at 07:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
July 17, 2004
Fall 2004 VON: Exhibit Floor Sold Out!
Another sign that VoIP is Really Happening: The Fall 2004 VON Exhibit Floor is now Sold Out! (and it is still 13+ weeks before the show).
For those of you planning on joining us in Boston in October, the updated exhibit hours are:
Exhibit Hours:
Monday, October 18th - 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM / Welcome Reception
Tuesday, October 19th - 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday, October 20th - 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday, October 21st - 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Special thanks to everyone who has made the commitment to support this event. Fall 2004 VON will be our largest VON event yet.
Posted by jeff at 08:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Vonage in Fortune Small Business
DISRUPTIVE Techonology: Talk Gets Cheaper
Posted by jeff at 08:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Mark-up of Sununu Bill Postponed until July 22nd
Word circulated late yesterday afternoon that the Senate Commerce Committee's markup of Senator Sununu's VoIP bill has been postponed until next Thursday, July 22nd.
The markup was originally scheduled to take place next Tuesday, July 20th.
Posted by jeff at 12:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
July 16, 2004
Business Week Online story on Blogging in the works…
I didn’t realize it but it seems that it is now “cool” and fashionable to have a blog and that there are a growing number of high-tech executives who have started to keep a blog this year. Blogging is going mainstream.
I was contacted by a reporter from Business Week online yesterday afternoon about a story they are doing on Blogs. I shared some information regarding this blog and my daily commitment to keep a blog. The interview I gave was fresh and on a topic which has become part of my online existence.
This is one story that I am looking forward to reading as soon as it gets published.
Posted by jeff at 06:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
36,803 Mets fans at Shea on a Thursday Night!
Last night at Shea Stadium reminded me of what it felt like to be at Shea back in the mid to late 80s. The spirit of the game was felt in the stands and there were quite a few moments we were living off every pitch during the game. A strong positive feeling was felt in the air and while it was a fast moving, low scoring game, the Mets were in it from the first pitch until they won the game in the bottom of the 11th.
I was amazed to see so many people at Shea Stadium on a Thursday night game in July. It has been quite some time that so many people were in the stands for a July night game. I’m guessing it was a combination of the great game weather, the positive momentum still being carried from the Mets sweeping the Yankees and the fact that they started their second season two games out of first place and they were playing the current first place team in their division. Whatever it reason, the spirit of the Mets fans were strong last night in Flushing.
Being in the stands, it was fun watching the “Wave” trying making a comeback at Shea, another reminder of the 80s. The Mets started their second season by beating the Phillies and putting themselves one game out of first place. Hopefully this is a sign of a fun summer ahead for Mets fans.
Posted by jeff at 06:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
July 15, 2004
Summer Camp!
Later this morning, my kids will be leaving for their first sleepaway camp adventure.
I'm not sure when it started, but seems as if the summer camp industry has discovered the web and as a way to help keep us parents better in touch with our kids, each day the camp counselors take digital photos and post the pictures to the camp website.
While it would be cool to one day be able to view live webcams of scheduled camp group activities -- just to try to enjoy the fun our kids are enjoying -- seeing daily pictures of what happened looks to be a great start.
I'm already looking forward to visiting day.
Here to hoping my kids have a great time at sleepaway camp.
Posted by jeff at 08:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
VoIP: Misunderstood
In New York State a dollar and a dream gets you a lottery ticket, and these days -- for just a little more money -- you can also start a telephone company. If the current trend continues, it is not inconceivable that by the end of the year another twenty to fifty companies will announce their intention to enter the VoIP consumer services market, thus further increasing local competition for communications services (which is already at its highest level in some 80 years!). In a word, VoIP has become popular!
Perhaps it was inevitable, VoIP becoming...hip...THE latest thing...a fashion statement. Over the past six months or so the acronym has entered the language, people who don't know a PSTN from Shimmer are using VoIP as a buzz word, and the technology is now in the news more often than it is not. Of course, this ALWAYS seems to happen whenever a new technology reaches critical mass and breaks the barriers of geekdom to enter the mainstream. Just five years ago most people never heard of MP3, yet today there are a growing number of people who are carrying 5,000 - 10,000 MP3s in their pockets. 2004 was the year people learned how to spell "V-O-I-P."
So the masses and the media are now clued into VoIP, however from my perspective as a long-time participant in and watcher of the industry I am concerned that a great many of them just don't get it. Over just the past couple of weeks I granted about a dozen interviews and -- save for those performed by those in the trade press -- I have little confidence that the majority of the reporters I spoke to will end up writing stories about "VoIP" and "related issues" that will send a correct message. Sloppy reporting (at times) over the past twelve months has helped put VoIP into the typical Washington lobbyist's lexicon, and while perhaps it is asking a lot for reporters assigned VoIP stories to get a clue, I can only hope that as the IP Communications industry continues to move forward VoIP will be better understood and that the important issues facing the industry will be properly addressed.
Posted by jeff at 12:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
July 14, 2004
VoIP Coverage in Fortune Magazine
From the July 26th issue of Fortune:
Posted by jeff at 07:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Sununu Bill Up for Committee Vote on July 20th
CNET News: Congressional panel to vote on bill to ban VoIP taxes
Posted by jeff at 12:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
July 13, 2004
Directory Unlisted: Finding someone on Wireless or Broadband
There is a story in today's issue of the Star-Ledger: Limited listings which discusses directory services.
At first glance, I did not appreciate what the big deal was that by default on the PSTN a phone number is "listed" and by default on Wireless and/or Broadband a phone number is not listed.
My take away was that if someone wanted to be found, they would do what was needed to list their number in such a way so that it could be found.
Posted by jeff at 04:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Looking for IP Communication Visionaries
We're looking for some beta testers for our new software client that combines exciting features of instant messaging, presence, VoIP and social networking running on top of the Free World Dialup network. If you have interest and time in the next few weeks we need your help.
The pulver.com team has been working for a while on developing this client and we're ready to start bringing in technical visionaries to get an early look at what we've been working on and to provide us feedback. You can help set the direction for the next pulver.com innovation.
If you have time to dedicate to join our beta test, please send me an email with your contact details to: jeff.pulver@gmail.com.
Posted by jeff at 12:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
July 12, 2004
Visiting MacWorld Tomorrow...
Tomorrow I'm making a quick trip to Boston to visit both Macworld and the facility where it is taking place.
I do hope to get an update with regard to the state of VoIP within the Mac user community.
Posted by jeff at 10:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Summer 2004 NARUC Meetings Underway
The 2004 NARUC Summer Committee Meeting is underway in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Given the current pending VoIP legislation in Washington, together with the FCC's IP NPRM and the other open VoIP petitions pending in Washington, VoIP is yet again a topic of focused discussion and attention at the NARUC meetings of State regulators.
Jonathan Askin is attending NARUC on our behalf.
Posted by jeff at 06:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
July 11, 2004
Zimbabwe Telecoms Authority issues Warning regarding VoIP
Zim Observer News: Zimbabwe telecoms authority warns companies
Posted by jeff at 06:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Survival of the Fittest: Will it be VoIP or the PSTN?
At the moment in the VoIP Forum on Broadband reports, amongst all of the
open threads, there are two parallel discussions:
I look at this as just another sign how misunderstood "VoIP" really is. I don't believe the real question should be about the survival of either the PSTN or VoIP, but I do find some of the at times inane responses rather revealing of the current consumer mindset.
While it might make for good forum fodder to take an extreme position on these topics, it seems as if some of the members don't recognize that VoIP as a technology platform is already being used as an enabling technology on the PSTN. In reality, the legacy PSTN will be around for a very long time as traffic moves from it to other networks, which will include both broadband and cellular, maybe Wi-Fi and WiMax and new networks not yet defined.
Next generation communication service providers will most likely end up building communication networks based on IP communications which will end up being agnostic to any specific network or service delivery platform.
So in my book, I expect both "VoIP" and the PSTN to survive - but for different reasons.
Posted by jeff at 09:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Supernova 2004: Recap
Webtalk Radio Show:Top 10 most discussed tech issues at Supernova 2004
Posted by jeff at 12:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
July 10, 2004
Yesterday may have been a Sporadic E-skip (Es) Day...
After reviewing FM Propagation modes, my logging yesterday of WiLD best fits the reception mode described as Sporadic E.
While I have a lifetime of experiencing Sporadic E on 10 meters, I didn't remember that the same propagation mode could be experienced in the FM radio band. Some of the other stations I logged were most definitely the results of Tropo.
Posted by jeff at 06:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Interrogatories Received from the CRTC
Yesterday, we were "served" interrogatories in the CRTC VoIP proceeding. Our response is due August 6, 2004
The bulk of the CRTC's questions focus on 9-1-1 and/or E9-1-1 services.
Posted by jeff at 05:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
July 09, 2004
FCC Chairman Powell's Psuedo Blog
FCC Chairman Powell's "Blog", hosted by AlwaysOn is a great marketing coup for Tony Perkins.
Going forward it would be great to see the FCC host their own non-commercial blog for the use of the Chairman as a channel "...to hear from the tech community directly and to try to get beyond the traditional inside the Beltway Washington world where lobbyists filter the techies."
Posted by jeff at 09:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Great Day for Tropospheric Ducting on Long Island!
Today has been a great day for Tropospheric Ducting on Long Island.
I consider myself just an accidental FM Radio DXer.
I woke up this morning and took a drive around West Hampton at 7:30 AM and enjoyed the tunes from WHJY-FM (94.1)a local radio station from Providence, RI, which according to How far is It was 95 miles, as the crow flies.
Around 12:30 PM on the way back from another drive, I was totally taken by surprise when I heard WiLD 95.5 fm from West Palm Beach, FL! WILD 95 came across the sub carrier ID on my car radio and the station totally overpowered WPLJ 95.5 which is the local FM radio station from NYC that I was listening to.
According to How far is It it is 1,059 miles, as the crow flies from where I was to where WILD transits from.
While I thought it was super cool that just the other day I was logging WHOM from Portland, ME on Long Island, this troupo logging of WILD represents almost 4 times the distance.
I am looking forward to logging additional FM radio stations this summer.
Posted by jeff at 01:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
July Travel Plans to Washington, D.C.
VoIP is becoming one of the more popular discussion topics on Capitol Hill.
It now looks as if I will be visiting Washington, D.C. at least twice this month.
Last week I was invited to be part of the FCC Global Forum which will be taking place on July 30th.
Yesterday I was contacted by the House Judiciary Committee regarding a VoIP hearing they are looking to schedule the week of July 19th. I am looking forward to the opportunity to testify at their hearing.
Look for VoIP to continue to capture regulatory headline news during July, 2004.
Posted by jeff at 12:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
July 08, 2004
Summer 2004 Musings
It’s summertime once again on Long Island.
While I’ve been a Mets fan for a very long time, it took the feat of the Mets sweeping the Yankees last weekend for me to take what now feels like a growing obsessive interest in baseball once again. All week I’ve found myself watching the Mets/Phillies series and caring about the score, the players and the strategy.
Another phenomenon that I’ve been enjoying this week is the tropospheric ducting taking place over Long Island. These past couple of days I’ve enjoyed listening to WHOM , 94.9 FM, from Portland, Maine, and other non-local stations, on my car stereo while commuting to/from work.
Posted by jeff at 11:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
FWD® Milestone: 250,000 Members and Growing!
Free World Dialup® has passed the 250,000 member mark!
FWD® continues to be one of the largest worldwide IP Communications networks built on open standards.
Posted by jeff at 06:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
More VoIP Stories on the Horizon
Over the past couple of days, I have been contacted by reporters for VoIP related stories in: C|Net, Star Ledger, New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Fortune Magazine.
While being contacted doesn't mean being quoted as some reporters like to use people "for background information", The Fortune Magazine storyline was the most interesting to me. Fortune is writing a story about the legacy of FCC Chairman Powell and I was happy/honored to share my praise for his vision and lasting effects he will have on the future of the IP Communications Industry.
Posted by jeff at 06:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
July 07, 2004
Recap: Today’s VoIP Hearing in Washington, D.C.
Jonathan Askin, General Counsel, pulver.com attended today’s House Subcommittee Hearing on VoIP. Below is Jonathan’s recap of the hearing:
“The Telecom Subcommittee of the House Commerce Committee held a hearing today on VoIP. It was, for the most part, a high level discussion on the
need for Federal legislation. The panelists and Members did focus on some
of the broad definitional, jurisdictional and regulatory issues raised by
VoIP and the implications that VoIP has on traditional telecommunications.
The House Hearing, however, did not delve into the specifics and level of
detail that I witnessed at the Senate Hearing on the Sununu VoIP Bill on
June 16.
The Panelists were as follows:
Jeff Carlisle, Senior Deputy Chief, Wireline Competition Bureau, FCC
Jeffrey Citron, Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO, Vonage
Margaret Greene, President, Regulatory & External Affairs, BellSouth
Michael Jensen, CEO, Great Plains Communications
James Kirkland, General Counsel and Senior Vice President, Covad
Communications
Cathy Martine-Dolecki, Senior Vice President, AT&T
Robert Nelson, Commissioner Michigan PSC and Chairman, Committee on
Telecommunications, National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners
Tom Rutledge, COO, Cablevision
Ron Vidal, Group Vice President, Emerging Opportunities, Level 3
Communications
About 23 of the approximately 33 Members of the Committee (including the
Chairmen and Ranking Members of both the full Commerce Committee and the
Telecom Subcommittee) weighed in with opening statements and questions for
the panelists. For those of you unfamiliar with the House Hearing process,
this is a remarkable turnout for this sort of hearing - a preliminary
hearing without anything on which to vote. It was probably the first
opportunity that the public has had to hear the varying views of most of the
members of the House Telecom Subcommittee on VoIP. Some of the statements
were pretty telling and it seems that we are in store for a very exciting
time in DC over the next 1-4 years.
Rep. Chip Pickering was a star. He beautifully laid out the case for
immediate, narrowly-tailored Federal legislation that will clearly preempt
state authority and send a clear signal to IP innovators that they are,
broadly speaking, free to bring IP communications services to consumers
without fear of excessive government interference. Pickering also noted the
potential problem of international outsourcing if the US does not
immediately and clearly embrace VoIP. Chairman Joe Barton (a possible "wild
card" in my mind because he is relatively new to communications issues,
having recently replaced Billy Tauzin as Chairman) weighed in VERY
positively, echoing many of these same sentiments for immediate Federal
preemption of state action and a very light Federal regulatory touch.
Heather Wilson (R NM) revealed a keen knowledge of communications and
technology and the need to ensure a hands-off approach, as did Jim Davis (D.
FL). I suspect these two are the most likely co-sponsors of the Pickering
Bill. A couple of the rural congressmen, most notably Lee Terry from
Nebraska, expressed concerns about loss of revenue streams for rural telcos,
echoing many of the sentiments of the panelist from Great Plains
Communications.
Jeff Carlisle of the FCC was particularly good, communicating the FCC's
desired hands-off approach towards new technology. He indicated that the
FCC was moving forward to ensure that IP communications can proceed
relatively unregulated but indicated some desire to have Congress resolve
some statutory, regulatory, and, in particular, definitional confusions and
state more clearly the unregulated nature of IP communications and the FCC's
authority to preempt state action.
My sense is that the VoIP innovators have overwhelming support from many of
the powerful players on the Committee, but it will be difficult to move
legislation this year, given the impending election and the few days left
this session. Having said that, Chairman Barton, Rep. Pickering and others
seemed genuinely committed to try to move targeted VoIP legislation this
term.
As noted in a prior Blog, Reps. Stearns and Boucher introduced another IP
communications bill yesterday. The bill, on the surface and based on press
statements, seems quite similar in many respects to the Pickering (and
Sununu Senate corollary) bill, but I think today's statements reveal some
telling, and troubling, distinctions. Stearns and Boucher seem set on doing
an entire rewrite of the Telecom Act, which they believe was flawed from the
get-go, and, in particular, does not allow the Bells to compete on a level
playing field with cable companies. Their bill also speaks of generally not
regulating "Advanced Internet Communications Services." The Stearns-Boucher
Bill, however, indicates that this is also the time to deregulate the
underlying telecom transmission facilities used to provide IP-based
communications services. The biggest problem I see with the Stearns-Boucher
bill is that it probably gums up the works. I'm not saying we could have
seen the House and Senate pass something akin to the Pickering or Sununu
legislation, but having a second bill before the House Commerce Committee,
will make many Congressmen pause and wonder which, if any, bill to support.
As a result, there will probably be many months of prolonged debate and it
becomes increasingly less likely to see any VoIP-specific legislation this
term. Boucher and Stearns admitted this candidly, indicating that they
would like to use their bill to form the basis of debate next Congress and
to frame the debate for a much broader rewrite of the Telecom Act.
In any event, I heard today that both bills will likely be referred to the
House Judiciary Committee, because of the law enforcement implications.
With a second committee having to weigh in, the prospects of timely
legislation further dim. I hope to have the opportunity to testify as the
legislation is reviewed by the Judiciary Committee.”
Posted by jeff at 11:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
So…Do you Blog?
Ever since posting a request a couple of days ago to get to know some of the people who are reading this blog – see: So…Who is Reading This Blog?, I’ve enjoyed the emails and the resulting interactive chats…so please feel free to continue to reach out.
Taking this to the next step, I was wondering how many readers of this blog maintain their own blogs. If enough people respond to this request, I will look to create a page which links to the blogs of the readers of this blog.
Please feel free to contact me by sending email to: jeff.pulver@gmail.com.
Posted by jeff at 07:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (13)
Looking for a Great CTO Candidate for a Friend…
The CTO of Callipso, Ted Dimmer, was in a fatal motorcycle accident this past weekend. It was an extreme shock to the entire company since he was only 40 years old and had 3 very young children.
Deb Lenart, CEO, Callipso reached out to me late yesterday for help and I’ve offered to help them hook up with potential replacement candidates. If you know of such candidates, please send me their details by emailing: jeff.pulver@gmail.com and I will forward the information to Deb.
Just to be clear, I am not a “head hunter” and I’m not doing this to earn any fees but rather because it felt like the right thing to do under these very trying circumstances.
Deb writes: “Its so hard for recruiters to nail this one yet since the industry is still in its formative stages and the "telco kinda guys" just don't get it.
Any help would be appreciated...”
...and I would like to do just that.
Posted by jeff at 06:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
IRS Looking to Tax IP Communication Service Providers
C|Net: July 6, 2004 - IRS eyes Net phone taxes
Posted by jeff at 12:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
July 06, 2004
Broadband Reports' VoIP Forum: Great Website for Consumer VoIP!
Broadband Reports' VoIP Forum remains one of the best places on the net to check the pulse of the latest/greatest happenings in consumer VoIP.
I've been a member of their VoIP Forum since February, 2003 and they remain one of the websites I check on at least a daily basis.
Posted by jeff at 07:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Other Big Week Expected for VoIP in Washington, D.C.
Over the next couple of days, VoIP will once again try to take center stage in Washington, D.C.
Look out for the final draft of the Boucher Stearns VoIP Bill to be introduced as well as the House Hearing on VoIP scheduled for Wednesday.
Posted by jeff at 06:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
July 05, 2004
New Boucher Stearns VoIP Bill: Still Needs Work!
In the draft of the proposed Boucher/Stearns VoIP Bill that I reviewed late last week, the concepts are interesting but the bill could use some more work.
This said, I welcomed that Boucher/Stearns recognized that IP Communications is an interstate service. And the concept of being a "separate service" is interesting.
The one paragraph which I had the most trouble with is:
--
" (3) PARITY AMONG PROVIDERS-The Commis-
sion shall ensure that the requirements or oblige-
tions referred to in paragraph (1) apply equally to
all providers of advanced Internet communications
voice services, and neither the Commission nor any
State may regulate the underlying Internet Protocol
transmission networks, facilities, or equipment that
support or transmit any advanced Internet commu-
nications voice service in a manner that results in
the unequal application of regulation to any Internet
Protocol network, facilities, or equipment as compared to
any other such network, facilities, or equip-
ment."
--
There is NO immediate need to have parity amongst providers as IP Communications services now and in the future will be different and left unfettered will continue to evolve. Any restrictions placed on these IP based innovations will drive the providers and developers of such services to leave the United States and offer them to the residents of the US as an offshore service.
Declan McCullagh asks a great question: Can VoIP survive Congress? I wish I knew the answer to this. I can only hope the answer remains Yes!
Posted by jeff at 11:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Australia Reviewing Requirements for Emergency Response Services Rules for IP Communications
The Australian Communications Authority (ACA) wants to change emergency services rules to clear up problems in dialing 000 (9-1-1 in the US) through the internet. I think, in theory, this is a great move.
The ACA is proposing changes to the Telecommunications (Emergency Call) Determination to clarify the obligations of carriage service providers (CSP) in providing access to 000 which could hopefully influence the approach other regulators take around the world.
In effect, the proposed amendments state that service providers “...are not required to provide access to emergency services when that access is affected by something beyond their control, such as a mains power outage.” Given the growing voice over broadband marketplace coupled with the fact that it is now possible to deliver communication services without the need to own any phyisical network assets, this clarification is essential for the future growth of Voice over Broadband services in Australia.
After all, why would (or could) a communication service provider be responsible for delivering 000 calls in the event the underlying Cable Modem or DSL network was down? How can a CSP really be responsible in a world where access and the communication application are separated?
I first addressed this topic last August: 9-1-1: When the Service Provider does not also provide the Access.... It is great to see that this specific topic is being addressed by an international regulator.
Posted by jeff at 07:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
So…Who is Reading This Blog?
Today completes a year of what has been daily postings in this blog.
While I’ve been contributing to various mailing lists ever since I’ve been on the internet and writing / publishing the Pulver Report since August, 1996, it wasn’t until last summer that I make a commitment to myself to write on a more regular basis.
From what I can tell, on the surface, this blog is pretty well read around the world.
When you have a moment, please feel free to drop me a line and let me know a little about yourself. I’d like to get to know some of the people who read this. Please send your email to: jeff.pulver@gmail.com.
The past twelve months has seen the resurgence of the IP Communications Industry and I can only imagine the excitement the next twelve months will bring.
Posted by jeff at 06:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
July 04, 2004
Wow! Mets Swept the Yankees!
Unbelievable!
As Tug once said, "Ya Gotta Believe!"
The New York Mets actually swept the Yankees. This is the first time this has happened in 14 regular season series.
Another great game.
Hopefully this momentum will carry forward into their next series against both the Phillies and Marlins.
p.s. Nice story about this in the New York Times, Sweeping Aside Years of Woe, Mets Top Yanks
Posted by jeff at 04:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Boucher Stearns VoIP Bill Expected on Tuesday
Continuing on the theme that 2004 is the Year Washington discovered VoIP, it is expected that the new Boucher Stearns VoIP Bill will be introduced on Tuesday.
I have reviewed a draft of the proposed legislation and I look forward to meeting the Boucher and Sterns staffers on future Washington DC trips this Summer to discuss their efforts.
Posted by jeff at 06:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Mets take two from Yankees!
Watching yesterday's Mets/Yankees game was reminiscent of a game they played back in 1999 at Shea where the lead moved each half-inning and when the Mets also won in the bottom of the ninth.
While yesterday was a fun game, one great thing about baseball is that today is another day and the Mets may need to reach deep to have a chance to sweep the Yankees. Even if this doesn't happen, the Mets have proven for themselves that it is possible to beat the Yankees two games in a row, at least while playing at Shea.
Nothing is Impossible!
Posted by jeff at 06:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Happy 4th of July!
Happy Holidays!
Posted by jeff at 06:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
July 03, 2004
Memories of pulver.com's Supercomm 2004 Party Continue...
It seems that the party we had at Supercomm 2004 in Chicago had a life of it's own in the blogs of those who attended it.
Looks like IP Inferno was amongst those who were at the House of Blues who shared in the fun.
I've already booked the Chicago House of Blues for our party during Supercomm 2005. I am looking forward to returning back to Chicago next June.
Posted by jeff at 07:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Mets still in the running...
Thanks to the non-spectacular 2004 seasons that the: Phillies, Marlins and Braves are having, after last night's win against the Yankees, the Mets find themselves once again at .500 and only 2 games out of first place.
Last weekend the Mets should have learned that winning the first game of the Yankees series does not mean that much. The Mets need to find a way to do better this weekend while they are at the friendly confines of Shea Stadium.
If the Mets can somehow figure out how to win at least one more game in this series, they may have enough positive momentum to carry themselves into first place and a few games above .500 leading into the All-Star break.
I'm looking forward to attending the Mets-Yankees game tomorrow on July 4th.
Let's Go Mets!
Posted by jeff at 08:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
House Hearing on VoIP: Scheduled for Wednesday, July 7th
On Wednesday, July 7th the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet will be meeting at 10:00 AM in room 2123 at the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.
The subject of the hearing will be: "Voice Over Internet Protocol Services: Will the Technology Disrupt the Industry or Will Regulation Disrupt the Technology?"
The witness list includes alumni of past VON conferences, including:
Jeff Carlisle, Senior Deputy Bureau Chief, Wireline Competition Bureau, FCC; Cathy Martine-Dolecki, Senior Vice President, AT&T, Ron Vidal, Group Vice President, Emerging Opportunities, Level (3) and Jeffrey Citron, CEO, Vonage.
Also testifying will be: Margaret Greene,
President, Regulatory & External Affairs
BellSouth; Michael Jensen, CEO, Great Plains Communications;James Kirkland,
General Counsel and Senior Vice President, Covad Communications;Robert Nelson, Michigan Public Service Commission,
Chairman, Committee on Telecommunications,
National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners and Tom Rutledge, COO,
Cablevision Systems with whom I co-testified with at the US Senate a couple of weeks ago.
Posted by jeff at 08:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
GoToMyPC Really Works!
While there are plenty of alternative ways to share a desktop these days, GoToMyPC is a service that "just works!"
After a dormant period of at least eight years, I've recently gotten actively involved in a software development project and I find myself being the test subject of the applications being developed.
The advent of GoToMyPC has avoided the need to ship my desktop to the team of people who are developing the software and has provided a reliable means of sharing my desktop in a networking environment where other solutions have not worked.
I'm now a fan of GoToMyPC. :-)
Posted by jeff at 08:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
July 02, 2004
Summer Music: CDs in Heavy Rotation in my Car
1. Jet - Get Born
2. Joss Stone - Soul Sessions
3. Beatles #1
4. Music from 2004 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Posted by jeff at 07:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Jessica Simpson in Scottsdale
Reality (TV) seems to be catching up with me. I just found out that next Wednesday's episode of of MTV's Newlyweds show will contain
footage of Jessica Simpson's trip to the Scottsdale Princess Hotel from the time I was also staying there.
While I doubt my documented run-in with the hotel security over some pictures I took on April 13th will be referenced in the show, given when happened, I look forward to watching the episode.
On the positive side of things, I did manage to leave Scottsdale with a few pictures of Jessica Simpson, including at least one that is of good enough quality that it could make it into a supermarket tabloid magazine.
Posted by jeff at 06:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
July 01, 2004
Zero Sum Game: The effects of the Coming Telecom Price Wars
Back in 1997, it was the threat of the success of Internet Telephony that helped bring down international pricing tariffs around the world. It was a game of arbitrage – international arbitrage -- and there were clear winners and losers. The end result was that wholesale PSTN termination prices significantly dropped. Coupled with the FCC’s five-year plan to get international accounting rates in sync and these days it costs only pennies to dial wholesale just about anywhere in the world.
Today in 2004, a new form of arbitrage exists in a growing number of markets around the world – in the form of the many companies who wish to service local markets by delivering "communication" services over broadband. Again it is the threat of the success of these start-up services, which is in turn driving down the incumbent pricing. In fact, the threat of the success of voice over broadband service providers is now reflected in the “all you can eat” pricing bundles in the US that both SBC and Verizon are now offering their POTS customers in their respective local markets. Now that SBC is offering a $35 a month “all-in” pricing package in California and Verizon is doing the same on the East Coast for $50 a month, these aggressive pricing packages will have the effect of positioning themselves as effective competitors against the many startups playing in the emerging voice over broadband space. This success will in turn result in a wave of price reductions by many of the voice over broadband service providers. And this cycle will just repeat itself.
In the end, at least for the short term, the consumer wins since the result yields lower costs and more bundled services. If the startups fail to roll out distinctive innovative services in the near term, many of them may not be around in the long term as the broadband revolution happens around the world.
Posted by jeff at 07:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
And Another VoBB Player: eLEC
eLEC Communications became yet another player in the growing crowded list of voice over broadband service providers.
Posted by jeff at 07:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Kevin Werbach on Skype
TCS Tech Central Station: Tune In, Turn On, Skype Out
Posted by jeff at 06:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)