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August 31, 2004
Level (3) Communications: The VoIP Enzyme
I've been a fan of Jim Crowe since I first met him back in 1999. I enjoyed listening to him talk when I saw him last week at the Aspen Summit and spoke to him for a few seconds after his talk.
During the summer of 2003 I first wrote about the Rise of the Broadband Parasites.
In the world of Broadband Parasites there are also Broadband Enzymes.
In the evolving biology of VoIP, Level 3 is an Enzyme.
In Biology Enzymes are catalysts, as is Level 3. Most are Enzymes are proteins. Given the choice of the other food groups, I'm sure Level 3 would consider themselves a protein too. :-)
"Enzymes bind temporarily to one or more of the reactants of the reaction they catalyze. In doing so, they lower the amount of activation energy needed and thus speed up the reaction. ." Looking at Level 3's recent announcement to help Charter provide VoIP services, Level 3 is playing the role of the catalyst. This is the same company also helping AOL with their VoIP offerings and others too.
Throw in Level 3's recent announcement of their relationship with Skype, coupled with some of other announced relationships and there seems to be no bounds in as far as the potential reach of what kind of catalyst this VoIP Enzyme may touch.
While there are other companies who wish they could play the role of the VoIP Enzyme, Level 3 does this role quite well...and we are only at the beginning of the IP communications revolution.
I look forward to watching the rest of the Level 3 strategy unfold.
Posted by jeff at 06:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Another jetBlue Morning
Later today I will be flying jetBlue to Oakland, CA for a meeting Wednesday morning in Silicon Valley.
It is starting to get to the point that I could not imagine what I used to do before the advent of jetBlue.
Posted by jeff at 12:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
August 30, 2004
Nintendo and Sony May Dominate the Consumer VoIP Marketplace in 2005
2004 has been a real interesting year for the world of IP Communications and things are about to get a lot more interesting. In the next few months, with the advent of the release of Nintendo’s DS and Sony’s PSP, both of these companies will be introducing realtively low cost (around US$ 200), consumer communication devices that use Wi-Fi and are optimized for gaming and inter-personal communications. Both Nintendo and Sony are well poised to become leaders in the Consumer VoIP marketplace within twelve months. To date the most well known use of VoIP in games has been with Microsoft’s XBox Live.
Both Nintendo and Sony are now leveraging the power of IP communications to incorporate both IP Voice and IP Video inside of their products, without directly marketing these products as VoIP devices on their own. Both the DS and PSP are well positioned to be living examples of “killer applications” for IP Communications. So while these companies won’t be calling their platforms powered by: “VoIP Inside”, we just need to smile when we read about the buzz surrounding these really cool consumer products.
Details regarding the DS and PSP has been written about in countless gaming magazines over the past few months but it was only recently that my kids connected the dots and told me about these new products that are well positioned to redefine gaming amongst the 10 year-old set (and their parents.)
It may be just a matter of time before some of the more creative forces within the VoIP industry start to announce the availability of commercial VoIP communication services associated with these really cool devices.
I am now trying to change my schedule to be in Los Angeles next year in May so that I can also attend E3 Expo 2005. It will be real interesting to observe how the advent of IP Communications has influenced the product offerings within the worldwide consumer gaming industry.
(special thanks to Dylan and Jake who contributed to the research of this blog entry.)
Posted by jeff at 08:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Fall 2004 VON: Early Bird Pricing Ends Friday
Fall 2004 VON Conference and Expo, which is the trade show for the international VoIP Industry will be taking place October 17-21 at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, MA.
At this event there will be over 190 exhibitors in our sold-out exhibit hall and one of our best speaker lineups in the history of our VON events.
Attendence at our conference sessions are tracking to be one of the largest conferences we have ever had.
The "early bird" pricing to register to attend Fall VON ends on Friday, September 3rd. Please be sure to register by Friday to take advantage of the "Early Bird" prices.
We have over 350 speakers scheduled to speak at the Fall 2004 VON Conference.
The buzz leading up to Fall 2004 VON continues to grow each week. Already the hotel room block for the conference is sold-out.
There are a number of activities planned for each day, starting with Sunday, October 17th which starts with our charity poker tournament and ends with our regularly scheduled: "FCC Town Hall Meeting."
Monday October 18th is the home of a half a dozen pre-conference workshops which includes the Fall 2004 Telecom Policy Summit.
If you are thinking about attending VON,
register today to take advantage of our "Early Bird" pricing.
As 2004 has been the year of VoIP, I've been especially looking forward to seeing this VON happen.
Posted by jeff at 12:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
August 29, 2004
FM Dxing on Long Island
This morning when I tuned the FM dial in my car, most of the stations which I normally listen to in the East end of Long Island were replaced with a variety of stations from the East Coast - mostly from: Virginia, Maryland and New Jersey. Most of the stations logged were transmitting from cities/towns located close to the shoreline.
I'm not sure what kind of activity is going on in the troposphere today, but something is different.
Posted by jeff at 01:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Talking Baseball: What Happened to the Mets?
It wasn't that long ago that the New York Mets were just a game out of first place. In fact it was just right around the All-Star break and the Mets were a fun team to watch and root for.
Oh well. With the Mets currently 15 games out of their division race and 10.5 games out of the wildcard race, a bunch of teams would need to lose a lot in order for the Mets to be able to gain ground. Oh, and the Mets would also need to figure out how to win again.
While I can only hope that the Mets can invoke the spirits of Tug McGraw and Bob Murphy to get inspired to win again, it will take a 1973 finish for the Mets to make it the playoffs this year.
Along the way the Mets should trade Mike Piazza and get someone who can actually play a position besides just hit.
At least both the Cubs and Redsox are still having seasons where someone can still stand up and root for them.
Let's go Cubs!
Posted by jeff at 07:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
AT&T's David Dorman on ZDNet talking VoIP
I was pretty impressed with the quality of the August 25th video interview between David Dorman, CEO, AT&T and ZDNet's Dan Farber. The content of the interview is pretty good too! :-)
Posted by jeff at 12:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
August 28, 2004
One Relaxing Summer Afternoon...
Yesterday afternoon was one of my most relaxing afternoons of the summer. Yesterday was also the day that I hosted the pulver.com office BBQ at my home.
Getting ready for the BBQ I unintentionally went “off-line” around 11am and I didn’t check email again until 8 hours later. My cell phone was off (and still is) and I spent the day cooking, socializing, eating and just enjoying the company of the company.
Another aspect of the day which contributed to the relaxing was that I didn’t really talk about work and I didn’t even feel tempted to do so.
I look forward to hosting the pulver.com BBQ next year.
Posted by jeff at 11:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
August 27, 2004
pulver.com Summer BBQ
In a few hours I will be hosting what is becoming an annual summer BBQ for pulver.com. I’m looking forward to hosting and cooking for everyone.
2004 has been quite a year for the VoIP industry and at pulver.com it shows. Our conference team continues to grow and we have continued our historic incubation strategy of working on core ideas and concepts and going thru the process of making them real. At the moment we are incubating five start-ups within the friendly confines of pulver.com. The number of people working at pulver.com and affiliated companies is up more than 50% during the past year.
Next Friday, September 3rd is the “early bird” cut-off for Fall 2004 VON Conference & Expo. Fall 2004 VON is shaping up to be our biggest event since I started producing events in 1996.
Posted by jeff at 08:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
advanced IP Pipeline covers PFF 2004
While attending the 2004 Aspen Summit, I had the chance to sit down and talk with Paul Kapustka, of CMP's Advanced IP Pipeline.
I enjoyed reading his accounting of the conference.
Posted by jeff at 02:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Forbes: On Chairman Powell and VoIP
This week Forbes is working on a story about how FCC Chairman Powell and his FCC continue to be strong advocates of VoIP.
I am looking forward to seeing the story in print.
Posted by jeff at 02:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
August 26, 2004
Back from Aspen
...time to focus on Fall 2004 VON Conference & Expo.
The past week in Aspen, CO was a great break from the Long Island Summer and while in Aspen it was great connecting with friends from the Washington beltway.
I look forward to returning to Aspen next year.
Posted by jeff at 06:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
VON Japan 2005: February 7-9
VON Japan 2005 will be taking place in Tokyo February 7-9, 2005.
This is the first time that I've been involved in the planning of VON Japan and I'm looking forward to visiting Japan and being in Tokyo the week of February 7th.
Posted by jeff at 12:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Beta Testing of pulver.Communicator Continues...
pulver.Communicator is a unique IP Communications application that brings together elements of: Presence, Instant Messaging, Social Networking and VoIP.
The public beta testing of pulver.Communicator started the week of July 12th with a group of 180 people. In the weeks since the launch of the beta program we have received a significant amount of feedback which has been taken into account as we engineer product improvements and implement bug fixes.
In the next day or so we will be launching the beta II test group for pulver.Communicator and once again will be looking for input and working hard in applying the feedback received in future builds of pulver.Communicator. The second test group will involve around 2,500 people from 97 countries. I am looking forward to hearing directly from the pulver.Communicator beta testers.
Posted by jeff at 12:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
August 25, 2004
Vonage Rises $105 Million More
Earlier today, Vonage announced that they raised an additional
$105 million in series D funding, lead by: NEA, 3i and Meritech
Posted by jeff at 08:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Another jetBlue Day...
Later this morning I will be flying home from Denver on jetBlue after a great stay in Aspen, CO.
This was my first trip to Aspen which I hope becomes the start of at least an annual trek to the town. I wouldn't mind getting to know the people of the Aspen Institute a little better.
The ride to/from Denver to Aspen across the Continental Divide is truly amazing and just breathtaking. And the break from the Long Island Summer filled with heat and high humidity was quite nice too.
Posted by jeff at 08:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
The Larry Babbio Blowoff
Just about all of the speakers at the 2004 Aspen Summit made themselves available to the attending conference delegates. Well, just about everyone.
On Sunday night while I was at the "informal reception" chatting with FCC Chairman Powell, Larry Babbio broke into our conversation and the Chairman made the polite introductions between Larry, Larry's wife and myself. Larry didn't say much but his wife was kind enough to introduce herself.
Late yesterday afternoon as I was getting ready to leave I saw Dave Burnstein and Eric Rabe standing right next to Larry and I figured it was a good time to introduce myself and say hello. Dave did the honorable introductions and we spoke for about 15 seconds. At the time I took out my business card and handed it to Larry, he handed my card back to me and proceeded to walk away.
So much for trying to reach out and touch someone.
Posted by jeff at 07:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
August 24, 2004
2004 Aspen Summit - Take Aways
The 2004 Aspen Summit was an interesting place to visit and I do look forward to being in Aspen next year for their 2005 Summit.
To an Washington outsider, this event seems like "Summer Camp for DC Lobbyists."
The people networking available here has been great.
I do leave Aspen more worried about the future of the VoIP Industry - at least from the prospects of regulation. Listening to some of these lobbyists talk about VoIP was more than troublesome. Hopefully there is no real need to be worried.
Posted by jeff at 05:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Day Two at 2004 Aspen Summit
As promised, Wi-Fi access was restored for today's session at the 2004 Aspen Summit.
But while we have web access, there is a real strict firewall in place which is blocking both SIP and Telnet.
Oh well...
Posted by jeff at 11:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Video Phone Story in WSJ
There is a nice story about Video Phones in today's Wall Street Journal - "The Videophone Goes Mass Market."
Posted by jeff at 09:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Linksys VoiP Powered Hubs Now Available
Back on June 7th while I was at VON Europe 2004, I reported in this blog: "...So far my favorite gadget that I've seen is a mock-up of a new Linksys router that will provide two voice ports for SIP. Henry Sinnreich showed the device during his talk this afternoon. This new device seems to take up the same old footprint as the current models. I would expect the street price for these units to be just incrementally more expensive than the current models.
When this device hits the marketplace it will start to marginalize some of the ATA type devices existing in the marketplace today."
That day is today.
Posted by jeff at 08:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Press coverage of Q&A with Chairman Powell @ 2004 Aspen Summit
Denver Post: FCC chief: Reform 1996 Telecom Act
Rocky Mountain NEws: Telecom law needs a rewrite
Internet Week: Regulatory Uncertainty Stifling Internet Innovation, CEOs Say
CNET News: FCC chairman calls for new telecom laws
Posted by jeff at 08:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
2004 Aspen Summit – August 23rd
This morning I had fully intended to blog this conference since I was told there was Wi-Fi access inside of the conference room. It turned out that the Wi-Fi access was usable for literally about five minutes into the conference and then disappeared. So much for my blogging…
I enjoyed listening to Verisign’s CEO, Statton Sclavos’s keynote address on: “The Transformation of Communications, Commerce & Society” as well listening to the next session a Communications Roundtable on “The Future of the Physical Layer: Access and Property in the Physical Layer.” – especially the comments from Jim Crowe.
FCC Chairman Powell did a Q&A keynote during lunch today that lasted somewhere between 75-90 minutes and addressed a range of subjects. I am sure he provided the fodder that the reporters covering this event needed when they filed their news stories to their editors this afternoon.
After lunch the conference took a break and didn’t start up again until a few hours later with an “informal reception” followed by a series of “working dinners.”
During the afternoon break I took the liberty of exploring Aspen and I took a Gondola ride up the mountain to take in the natural beauty that Aspen is known for. Standing behind me in line was FCC Chairman Powell and I ended up spending a couple of relaxing hours this afternoon with FCC Chairman Powell. While the Aspen Summit continues on Tuesday, I’m confident the time I spent with the Chairman will be my personal highlight of the event.
This evening I sat in the “The Future of Communications Law” session which was an off-the-record open discussion and included an extended group of State and Federal regulators as well as a few service providers and a few people from Capital Hill. This session seemed like a preview of tomorrow morning’s discussion – “Regulating and Deregulating the Physical Layer.”
The rest of tomorrow’s sessions look equally interesting and I’m looking forward to taking the sessions in. My hope is that the folks at the hotel figure out how to deliver working Wi-Fi for more than five minutes…
Posted by jeff at 12:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
August 23, 2004
Forbes: VoIP vs. Conventional Phones
Today's Forbes Monday Matchup: VoIP vs. Conventional Telephones.
Posted by jeff at 09:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Aspen Summit Commences...
The 2004 Aspen Summit, "The Future of the Internet" started late Sunday afternoon.
Looking around the welcome reception at all of the distinguished attending delegates, one thing was clear, that I was attending an event that was the closest to Davos that I have ever been too.
The real-time personal business to business networking available at this event was pretty amazing.
I enjoyed spending a few minutes catching up with FCC Chairman Powell during the reception, comparing notes with Dan Gilmore and sitting next to Declan McCullagh during the first session.
I am looking forward to the rest of the sessions which will be taking place over the next couple of days.
Posted by jeff at 12:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
August 22, 2004
Enjoying Aspen...
Coming from the hot humidity of a Long Island summer, the weather in Aspen has been great. The lack of humidity and the brisk air is a welcome treat.
Yesterday I started to take in the sights in and around Aspen and I attended a family rodeo at nearby Snowmass.
On the drive back from Snowmass we took a small detour in the sprit of 'war-driving' in search of some of the local black bears that frequently visit Aspen. While we didn't see any bears in the alleyways, we did spot a group of deer. ;-)
Posted by jeff at 11:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
DSL Prime: Jeff's FCC
The following story was written by Dave Burstein who publishes DSL Prime and is from the August 21, 2004 issue of DSL Prime.
After I read the following story I was flattered and taken back and asked Dave for permission to share it with the people who may visit my blog.
republished with permission from Dave Burnstein, DSL Prime
After Powell
Mike Powell will probably stay through January to finish some current
projects, instead of leaving November right after the election, a close
aide is telling friends. Key staffers Bill Maher of the Wireline Bureau
and broadband advisor Kyle Dixon have already left, and many big
decisions are being delayed for the new team. Don't discount Powell, who
would like to leave a legacy. But unless he sees the urgency, troublesome
issues are being rolled over to the next administration.
Drew Clark's National Journal speculations on his successor were widely
picked up. Kerry, if elected, [might] appoint FCC Commissioner Michael
Copps as chairman. Copps led the fight on the commission against efforts
by Chairman Michael Powell to loosen media-ownership rules. Copps has
support among public-interest advocates but does not top most telecom
insiders' lists of potential FCC chairs.
Repeatedly mentioned individuals include: Greg Rothschild, chief telecom
aide to Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich.; former commissioner Susan Ness; Blair
Levin, former chief of staff to former Chairman Reed Hundt; Antoinette
Cook Bush and Ivan Schlager, former aides to Sen. Ernest (Fritz)
Hollings; cellular industry executive Gerry Salemme; and Kathy Brown,
former chief of staff to former Chairman William Kennard and now a
Verizon executive. Larry Irving, former head of the National
Telecommunications and Information Administration; and David Krone,
executive vice president at the National Cable and Telecommunications
Association.
Copps has taken consistently pro-consumer stands, my editorial bias, and
almost everyone except "telecom insiders" (overwhelmingly lobbyists)
would applaud the choice. Levin is exceptionally qualified, proving
himself the most thoughtful and accurate voice in policy circles. He
played a key role under Hundt/Kennard, a period that seems golden
compared to the Powell years of decline (which are not all Powell's
fault, of course, but the buck stops here.)
Larry Irving is also thoughtful, generous, and public-spirited. Most of
the others mentioned by Clark should not be serious candidates, because
the commission is dedicated to the public interest, and rare is the
lobbyist who can serve it. Far more qualified are public interest
advocates like Gene Kimmelman of Consumer's Union, Mark Cooper of
Consumer Federation, or Jamie Love of the Consumer Project on Technology.
It's a terrible indictment of the D.C. scene that corporate lobbyists
are acceptable and consumer lobbyists not considered.
The assumption is that if Bush is re-elected, Kevin Martin will take over
the FCC. Martin's earned respect from many, myself included, who are not
Republican free marketers as he is. I've seen how actively Martin
researches issues, including careful listening at obscure events on fiber
to the home and regional broadband. He's proven that he will take stands
he believes in at political cost.
Consider instead Jeff Pulver, a political independent who has worked
effectively with both Democrat Kennard and Republicans Powell and Sununu.
Jeff has two virtues few of the D.C. folks share. He's a successful
entrepreneur, whose proven ability to "meet a payroll" should give him a
businesslike attitude Republicans can respect. He's also far better
informed about both the technology and the business realities than almost
anyone in D.C., something even more important than the particulars of law
most of the other commissioners will bring. Nearly all the decisionmakers
in D.C. are lawyers who only incidentally understand the fields they are
regulating; having at least one commissioner who understands in depth
would add immensely to the quality of the work.
Similarly, Democrat Dave Farber would be a great choice, who won
respect in D.C. as FCC Chief Technologist. I don't know the party
affiliation of MIT's Dave Clark, Stanford's John Cioffi, Dewayne
Hendricks, David Isenberg, but they are all top technologists informed
about policy. Bill Smith of BellSouth, Mark Wegleitner and Paul Lacouture
of Verizon, BT's CTO Matt Bross (an American), Alcatel's CTO Niel Ransom
(also an American) and Hossein Eslambolchi of AT&T strike me as
individuals who could put aside their corporate interests if called to
public service. Similarly, John Hodulik at UBS or Anton Wahlman of
Needham (a former Cato Institute staffer) from wall streeters have proven
their knowledge. The commission, whoever is President, needs some
members who are not D.C. lawyers. That's a long list, but most of these
folk are very successful and unlikely to accept a different position and
government pay.
Most of Europe and the U.S. think lawyers and occasionally economists are
the only one qualified to regulate. That's one reason Korea has pulled
ahead, incorporating experts at the highest levels.
To subscribe to DSL Prime, click here.
Posted by jeff at 09:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
August 21, 2004
VoIP Industry will Raise over $750 million in 2004
The VoIP sector continues to be hot. VCs who for part of 2001, all of 2002 and part of 2003 did not want to put any real money to play inside the VoIP industry seem to be making up for lost time.
Posted by jeff at 08:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
August 20, 2004
Long Trek to Aspen
After a long day of travel, I finally made it to Aspen. I believe the drive from Denver to Aspen was longer than the jetBlue flight from New York to Denver. ;-)
The drive on I-70 was at times breathtaking and I'm told that the alternative road would have provided even more spectacular views.
I'm looking forward to exploring Aspen this weekend.
Posted by jeff at 07:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Blogging from jetBlue @ JFK
Every once in a while a company comes forward and disrupts an industry...jetBlue is one of them. The advent of jetBlue's cheap flights, great service and DirecTV service has not gone unnoticed.
Providing free Wi-Fi access in terminal 6 at JFK is an added plus! :-)
Posted by jeff at 07:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Gearing up for the wider Beta Testing of pulver.Communicator
Yesterday I sent an email to all of the 275,000 FWD accounts in our database, inviting our community to join in the beta testing of pulver.Communicator.
Not knowing what to expect, the response has been a bit overwhelming and it looks like we will achieve our immediate goal of expanding the diversity of the people who have been part of the Beta I test program of pulver.Communicator during the past month.
It looks like there will be people testing pulver.Communicator from over 75 countries. :-)
Posted by jeff at 06:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Aspen Summit 2004
In about an hour I will begin my trek today to Aspen as I'm arriving a couple of days ealier in advance of the Apsen Summit 2004.
Looking at their posted agenda, this seems like an event featuring the "old guard." More interesting than the list of people who are speaking, are the lists of people who are not.
Jonathan Askin and I will be there to provide a voice of the Internet Generation at an event whose theme is: "The Future of the Internet."
Posted by jeff at 04:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
The VoIP Olympics
The TV Spots that AT&T is playing during the Olympic games are available for viewing from their website.
I really enjoyed their VoIP Commercial.
Thanks to AT&T, millions of more people will have heard of VoIP and will be one step closer to using voice over broadband services in 2005 and beyond.
The AT&T ads during the Olympics will help grow the consumer voice over broadband marketplace.
This just just another sign how mainstream VoIP has become in 2004.
Amazing times!
Posted by jeff at 04:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
August 19, 2004
Sony also driving Consumer VoIP
According to a story published in New Zealand Reseller News, a software upgrade to Sony's Playstation 2 platform will add support for both IP based video conferencing and VoIP.
The entry of the updated Playstation 2 will in effect provide yet another alternative IP communications device for the home at a price point signficiantly less than a PC.
As XBox Live already has over a million users worldwide, it will be interesting to see how many people opt-in to use Playstation's Eye Toy Chat product as their real-time communications platform.
Posted by jeff at 09:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Missing Elmer Bernstein: 1922-2004
Elmer Bernstein passed away yesterday and while he may not be known by as many people who heard his music in the movies he scored for, he scored music for more movies than just about anyone else.
I had the pleasure of sharing a dais with Mr. Bernstein in May 2002 at the EAT'M conference which pulver.com helped produce. He was one of the people we honored at EAT'M 2002.
Mr. Bernstein was working on the scoring of Far from Heaven at the time we met.
Posted by jeff at 07:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
VON Magazine Going Monthly
VON Magazine, which marks it's one year anniversary in September, will begin monthly publication starting in January, 2005.
Posted by jeff at 12:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
August 18, 2004
August Pulver Report Finished
I didn't realize until yesterday that the last Pulver Report that I sent out was on June 2nd.
I've been meaning to sending out a report for weeks, but the distractions of the summer got in the way.
The good news for me was that I was actually able to get the report out today. :-)
Posted by jeff at 02:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Time to Book your Fall VON 2004 Hotel Rooms
Normally I would suggest to people to book their VON hotel rooms weeks in advance of VON so that they can be assured that they have a place to stay during the conference.
Well it looks like I'm a little late with this notice.
I just found out that original hotel room block for Fall 2004 VON is Sold Out. So, if you are not from the greater Boston area and if you don't have friends or relatives to stay with while attending Fall 2004 VON, now really is the time to find a place to stay in Boston the week of October 18th.
While the pulver.com VON team is working on expanding our hotel room block for the show, please consider spending the time now in taking care of your hotel room arrangements.
Posted by jeff at 08:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
August 17, 2004
SISO: Great Oranization for Show Producers
I just returned home after spending a night and a day attending the 2004 SISO Executive Conference.
While this was my first experience with SISO, the entire extended SISO team made me feel as if I had been an event regular. During the day, I enjoyed the frank and direct exchanges that took place regarding the business of producing events.
This morning I presented on a panel called: "From Good to Great" where I had a chance to talk about how pulver.com and the VON events got started.
I am looking forward to attending future SISO events and getting to know the people behind the industry that I've been working in since 1996.
Posted by jeff at 11:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Working on next Pulver Report
I've been meaning to publish the next Pulver Report for a number of weeks but other activities have taken a priority.
My hope is to publish our "Summer Edition" prior to leaving for the Aspen Summit.
Posted by jeff at 06:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Positive First Impressions of SISO
The 2004 SISO (Society of Independent Show Organizers) annual conference started last night in Boston.
For someone like myself who has been producing events since 1996, I’m not sure what took me so long to attend this event and join SISO as a member.
I was taken back how friendly many of the SISO members were and the number of people who went out of their way to make me feel comfortable in an environment that I thought I would otherwise be a stranger.
As it turned out, I ran into a few people who used to work at Key3media back in 2001/2002. I also spent a few minutes with a friend who runs Supercomm and met many of the “who’s who” in the independent trade show industry.
I’m looking forward to my session in the morning and spending the time I am in Boston networking with some of the other SISO members.
I would highly recommend SISO to anyone who is an independent show organizer. I fully expect pulver.com to be back next year and I look forward to attending the SISO CEO event in 2005.
Posted by jeff at 01:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
August 16, 2004
Leaving for SISO Conference
Tomorrow morning I will be speaking at the SISO (Society of Independent Show Organizer) 2004 event in Boston, "Keeping the Buzz."
I'm on a panel taking about: "From Good to Great: Taking your show to the Next Level!" I will be talking from the heart and sharing a side of the VON Experience that has not be told before.
It seems that our VON Events are not a secret amongst SISO members and I was honored with an invitation to attend and speak at this SISO Executive Conference.
While I've been in the conference business since 1996, this is the first time I will be attending an event like this.
Posted by jeff at 10:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Vonage in Time Magazine
Another sign of the Time(s). VoIP has become that mainstream in 2004.
I just read the new Time Magazine story on Vonage and Jeffrey Citron - The Internet is Calling.
Too bad VH1 isn't doing a "Behind the Music" story on Vonage. At least the viewer would learn about the early days of Vonage and the background of what lead to the launch of Vonage.
Then again, knowing VH1, maybe one day they will do the story.
For those who are not waiting for the story to be told on VH1, if the interview I did with Fortune Magazine is any indication, in a story that Fortune was working on, they did their homework and found me and asked a lot of questions regarding "the early days" and how Min-X morphed into Vonage.
While chances are the extend storyline will end up on the editing room floor, at least Fortune knew enough to ask the questions.
Posted by jeff at 10:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Multiply - Photos: Nice Feature
One of the nicer features of Multiply that I've discovered is their Photo Albums.
While I haven't figured out yet how to post pictures without notifying everyone in "my network", the picture editing/loading interface is easy to use.
As a result, I've found another home for some of my 2004 photos.
Posted by jeff at 07:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
LibreTel Introduces PortofCall Service
LibreTel is currently beta testing it's international direct inbound dialing (DID) service, PortofCall. Telephone numbers are available for costs ranging from US$ 6 to US$ 12 a month depending upon where they are from. Other than a setup charge which is being waived during the beta period, there are no other costs associated with this service.
So as long as you have broadband access, you can now have a virtual presence in a number of international cities.
While it may be easier to rely on an always-on hardware IP phone, frankly anyone with a PC running windows XP can start to receive inbound phone calls within minutes of signing up for LibreTel's PortofCall service.
If you are from London living in New York, you can now give your friends a local London number to call which will reach you in New York. If you are from New York and living in Tokyo you can now give your friends/family a local number to dial in New York that rings you in Tokyo. The combinations are limitless and now for the first time you can have a local presence anywhere in the world where you can get broadband internet access.
At the moment the individual PortofCall numbers are available from the following international rate centers:
England: Birmingham / London / Manchester
Israel: Jerusalem
Northern Ireland: Belfast
Scotland: Edinburgh / Glasgow
USA (East Cost) - DC, CT, FL, GA, MA, MD, NJ, NY, VA
Wales: Cardiff
Posted by jeff at 01:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
August 15, 2004
Multiply: Terrible social spammers...
...but show signs of innovative social networkers
This weekend the amount of Multiply spam that I continue to receive has grown.
While I have taken the time to update my basic Multiply profile, it was not my intention to knowingly spam my friends with requests to join Multiply. I unfortunately did this to the first group of names I was experimenting with.
At the moment, Multiply sends out at least two messages to start and then seems to send out at least one more follow-up message.
One interesting innovation was that Multiply offers the ability to act as a proxy to both Orkut and Friendster and will email blast invites to your selected Orkut and/or Friendster connections.
This is a feature I expect will be copied by others playing in the social networking space.
Posted by jeff at 09:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Last Chance to Nominate Companies for the 2004 pulver 100
The pulver 100 was introduced in September, 2002 and includes only PRIVATE companies in the communications sector that have substantial real-world deployments and enjoy significant growth rates.
The list seeks to include the companies that represent the future of the communications ecosystem. The value chain characterized by the companies listed in the pulver 100 differs substantially from the vertically integrated telecom model of the last century. The companies prospering in the new environment have followed the computer and networking industry model with open interfaces, connectivity decoupled from services, and software decoupled from hardware.
The pulver100 nominations are reviewed June-August each year.
Please send any last-minute nominations for consideration to pulver100@pulver.com. The last round of nominations will be reviewed this week.
The 2004 pulver100 will be announced in September.
Posted by jeff at 12:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
August 14, 2004
AT&T Promoting VoIP during the Olympics
So far my personal highlight of watching the Olympics on NBC was seeing AT&T's commercial for Callvantage.
I think it is pretty amazing to think that in 2004 VoIP has gone so mainstream that any company would be spending the kind of money AT&T must be spending to help educate American consumers about VoIP.
Posted by jeff at 05:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
pulver.com's new Boston Office
Next week pulver.com will be opening up a second office near Boston.
For us this is a significant step as it is our first 2nd office since pulver.com started back in 1996.
The office is located in Peabody, MA and it will be home to the extended pulver.com VON Events team.
Posted by jeff at 02:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Mets are Gaining Ground!
Just when I was ready to start exploring the competitive side of badminton, the New York Mets have once again started to gain ground in their standings, albeit in the NL Wildcard.
At the moment the Mets are now only 6 ½ games out after their win last night.
If the NYC weather cooperates, my hope is that the Mets can gain additional ground by Monday morning
Posted by jeff at 08:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
August 13, 2004
Congressman Boucher: How to make friends and Influence People inside the VoIP Industry
Yesterday, Congressman Boucher contributed to Larry Lessig's blog, noting that "Congress will begin the difficult process of rewriting the Telecommunications Act of 1996." Mr. Boucher sees this broad rewrite as a foregone conclusion and "as an enormously valuable opportunity to fashion new federal guidelines for the era of Internet-based communications." Frankly, I think Congress had that very opportunity this year, and, but for some last-minute caving to certain corporate special interests who have done little, to date, to promote VoIP, we could have seen Congress take some very positive first steps towards creating the proper regulatory environment to give Wall Street the certainty and comfort it needs to invest in IP communications, and to give innovators the proper assurances and incentives to deploy new networks, technologies, services and applications. Instead, we've got to wait for a new Congress, a new FCC, and new players with new hands out and new demands. Even Congressman Boucher's core constituency, the Bell Companies, would have liked to see a simple Federal preemption on VoIP. Instead, we are left in this netherland of uncertainty where the states, the Feds, the companies, Wall Street and consumers still have no
clear sense about jurisdictional boundaries and regulatory authority as it relates to the nascent IP communications industry.
I am disappointed that certain johnny-come-lately special interests are just now jumping on the VoIP bandwagon, and using it as an excuse to rewrite the entire Telecom Act and refight battles that the IP innovators should not be dragged into -- such as the battles between ILECs and CLECs, between the Bells and cable, between rural and urban centers, between the states and the Feds. We had a golden opportunity this year, thanks to the targeted visions of Senator Sununu and Congressman Pickering to get some properly circumscribed deregulation and Federal preemption (without having to revisit the historic telecom wars) to ensure that innovators could comfortably innovate and get funding for new IP-based applications and services. Instead, too many chefs, bowing to their own limited constituencies, special interests, and the entrenched power structure, took what was a simple opportunity to free IP-communications from legacy regulation in an effort to promote agendas that have next to nothing to do with empowering consumers or realizing the full promise of IP communications. In the Senate, we saw an absurd add-on to the Sununu Bill, in what could only be described as a "midnight massacre" to bring positive VoIP legislation. In one fell swoop, the Dorgan amendment turned an otherwise good bill into an illogical bill that no IP enthusiast could support. In fact, the Bill as passed with the Dorgan amendment would impose legacy telecom regulations and charges to X-box Live. Surely, that could not have been anyone's intention. On the house side, we saw a clear bill by Congressman Pickering get muddied by a second bill offered by Congressmen Stearns and Boucher that would have hid behind VoIP deregulation to free the Bells from their promises made during the passage of the Telecom Act of '96. I don't have a major stake in the battles between the ILECs and CLECs and Cable Companies, but it is a shame that we, the IP community are being used as bargaining chips in that war, and, for this year at least, have become collateral damage in a war to which we were never party.
Posted by jeff at 09:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
New for 2004: Charity Poker Event @ Fall 2004 VON
I am real excited to report that pulver.com will be hosting a Charity Poker Tournament to kick-off Fall 2004 VON. Here are the details as they currently are evolving:
TITLE: Best Bet for the Cure: Charity Poker Tournament No Limit Texas Hold 'em Tournament to benefit the Diabetes Research Institute and the Barton Center underwritten by pulver.com in association with Fall 2004 VON.
WHEN: Sunday, October 17th noon-6pm; final table(s) for top finishers (with added celebrities) on Sunday evening (7:30-?).
Agenda: Sunday October 17th
-----------------------------------------------------
10:30 AM - 11:30 AM: Sign in
11:30 AM - 12:00 PM: No Limit Tutorial
12:00 PM - 6:00 PM: Tournament Play
6:00 PM - 7:15 PM: Dinner and Reception
7:30 PM - ??? : Final Tables with Celebrities
-----------------------------------------------------
WHERE: Hynes Convention Center, Boston, MA (2nd Floor, Exhibit Hall D).
WHO MAY PLAY: Anyone 18 and over can enter. Buy-in donations are $300 (much of it will be tax-deductible). We will allow unlimited re-buys for the first hour. We are trying to determine how to reach out to likely participants beyond the community of people who will be part of Fall 2004 VON (such as Boston-area poker enthusiasts, as well as supporters of Diabetes charities). We expect to have a few hundred players. Any help in spreading the word of this new event would be appreciated.
CELEBRITY PARTICIPATION: We intend to line up a few celebrities. In addition to having Phil Hellmuth, arguably the best tournament hold 'em player in the world, serving as Master of Ceremonies, we've got John Ratzenberger (formerly "Cliff" from Cheers) who should offer local Boston color. Other celebs have been invited, including some big shots in the telecom and political arenas.
PRIZES: While still evolving (and open to contributions), prizes will likely include:
- Entry into the night-time celebrity tournament;
- Vegas style 500 chip sets with aluminum cases;
- IP-related equipment and services;
- Buy-ins to National Poker Tournaments.
SPONSORS: Corporate sponsorships are still available. We will accept most any creative sponsorship ideas. If interested, please contact Jonathan Askin via email: jaskin@pulver.com.
Posted by jeff at 07:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
August 12, 2004
Yet Another Consumer VoIP Story
Today the Pittsburgh Post Gazette ran yet another consumer VoIP story, Internet dials up changes in phones.
The diagram the story used in the story is a bit misleading with regard to "How Internet Phone Calls Work."
Posted by jeff at 07:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Personal Role Radio: Wi-Fi VoIP in the British Army
It was not that long ago that the Hummer made the transition from being used in the military to being used by some high-end consumer who wanted something different to drive in on non-military roadways.
At the moment, the British Army amongst others, is using the Wi-Fi enabled, VoIP based Personal Role Radio -- "For the multi-skilled warfigher in the 21st Century."
It will be interesting to see how variations of this hardware end up being used in the consumer space. At the moment it would seem that this could be used as a pretty cool consumer grade Wi-Fi Walkie Talkie.
Posted by jeff at 07:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
August 11, 2004
Mets Win a Game
Last night the NY Mets won a game and gained in both the NL East and Wildcard races.
While the Mets remain 10 games out of first place and 7.5 games in the wildcard race, if the Mets can pull together a string of wins, anything is possible in Baseball.
Posted by jeff at 05:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Fall 2004 VON: Updated list of Keynotes and Industry Perspectives
Fall 2004 VON: Updated list of Keynotes and Industry Perspectives
There will be over 300 different speakers at the Fall 2004 VON Conference. The conference schedule continues to get updated on a daily basis.
The updated confirmed list of Keynotes and Industry Perspectives at our event include senior executives from industry and Government: (FCC, US Senate, AT&T, Audiocodes, Avaya, Brooktrout, Callipso, Cisco Systems, Convedia, Excel Switching, Freescale Semiconductor, Goldman Sachs, Jasomi Networks, Level 3, Lucent, Microsoft, Netrake, Netport Networks, NMS Communications, Nortel Networks, Polycom, pulver.com, Rinde Associates, Siemens, Sonus, Verizon, Webmessenger)
Fall 2004 VON Keynotes and Industry Perspectives:
Note (* = Keynote)
If you are planning on attending and would like to take advantage of our current "early bird" pricing, now would be a great time to register for the conference.
"Early Bird" pricing ends on September 3rd.
Posted by jeff at 05:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
August 10, 2004
Mets: Now 8 1/2 Games out of Wildcard Race
A few weeks ago the Mets were actually having a good 2004 season. Since the all-star break the Mets seem to be in a free-fall.
A good friend pointed out to me yesterday that while the Mets were 11 games out of their divisional race, they are only 8 1/2 games out of the Wild card race.
So while I do hope the Mets remember how to win and figure out how to making this an exciting August for New York Mets baseball, there are always the Cubs to root for.
The Cubs at the moment are in the lead of the NL Wildcard race.
Lets Go Mets!
Lets Go Cubs!
Posted by jeff at 08:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
NY Times: Media Sponsor of Fall 2004 VON!
Yet another sign that VoIP has gone mainstream: The New York Times has come aboard as one of the new media sponsors of the Fall 2004 VON Conference and Expo.
In fact, it was the NY Times together with the Boston Globe which joined us as media sponsors together with the communications industry publications: eWeek, InfoWorld, NetworkWorld, Telecommunications, Telephony, TotalTelecom and our own VON Magazine.
We are working on a special VoIP supplement which will be included in both the NY Times and Boston Globe in early October.
Posted by jeff at 06:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
LibreTel: DID Service in Beta
LibreTel's first service offering, PortofCall is now in beta.
PortofCall is an "unmanaged" service which offers virtual Direct Inbound Dialing (DID) numbers to anyone who has a broadband SIP phone (hardware or software.) A cool implication of this new beta service offering is that for the first time, inbound and outbound communications services have been disintermediated.
At the moment, LibreTel is offering DIDs from the East Coast of the US and from the UK. Additional countries are expected to be available later this month.
Additional LibreTel services will be introduced during the course of the beta period.
Suppliers of international DIDs should feel free to contact me regarding possible business opportunities.
Posted by jeff at 05:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Here comes Multiply
Just when I was getting used to both Orkut and LinkedIn, I've now been invited to join Multiply.
In the past few hours a handful of friends from Orkut have invited me to connect with them on Multiply.
Later this week I will try to spend the time needed to create a profile on Multiply and then start to experiment with the Multiply end-user experience.
Posted by jeff at 12:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
August 09, 2004
Scientists warns of Huge Tidal Waves...
The Guardian reports: Hollywood fantasy? Tidal wave disaster is just waiting to happen.
Sometimes truth can be stranger and scarier than fiction.
Posted by jeff at 10:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
FCC Releases VoIP/CALEA NPRM
Earlier today the FCC issued it's CALEA NPRM.
The NPRM is available at: http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-04-187A1.pdf.
Posted by jeff at 03:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Fahrenheit McCullagh
News Commentary from Declan McCullagh: Fahrenheit FBI
Posted by jeff at 08:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
August 08, 2004
Blogging for Business: pulver Blog in BusinessWeek Story
Ever since the launch of this blog in July, 2003, I have made it a point to blog on a daily basis. I'm now living what can best be described as the "blogging lifestyle."
With this in mind, I thought it was kinda cool that I was interviewed by Olga Kharif and actually included in her BusinessWeek story on blogging, "Blogging for Business."
Speaking of BusinessWeek, last year I thought it was kinda cool that I made it to their list of 2003 Tech Gurus. Actually, I still do. :-)
Posted by jeff at 06:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
August 07, 2004
And now the Mets Lose 2
Oh well.
Just when the Mets were making watching them interesting again, they go ahead and lose two in a row against St. Louis.
At least they were in both of the games. But in the end the goal is to win. And the Mets need to figure out how to put together another string of wins to make the rest of August and September interesting.
At least a couple of their players seem to be having career years and it would be a shame if it were wasted on anything but a strong winning season.
Hopefully the Mets will pull out a win tomorrow against the Cards.
Now the Mets are 10 games out of first place...
Posted by jeff at 07:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
LA Times Editorial: Bad Call on Internet Phones
I'm not exactly sure what the driving force is, but for the second time in three days, a major newspaper in the US has published an editorial where VoIP Policy is the subject.
On Thursday it was the Washington Post with "lnternet Phoning" and today it is the LA Times with: "Bad Call on Internet Phones."
It will be interesting to see if August 2004 will be the month that the editorial departments of the major US newspapers will use to express their viewpoint on the current state of pending VoIP Regulation. In the case of the LA Times, given the last-minute addition of the Dorgan Amendment to S.2281, I agree with their closing statement: "S.2281, the bill before the Senate, falls far short. Congress should hang up and start over."
Posted by jeff at 08:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Cynthia Webb's FCC VoIP FILTER
While searching for the URL for the Washington Post's recent VoIP Editorial, I discovered Cynthia Webb and her daily column, Filter. Her recent Thursday column, "FCC Serves Up a Ruling Smorgasbord", is a really good write-up of the press accounts on what happened at the August 4th FCC meeting with regard to VoIP.
Posted by jeff at 07:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
August 06, 2004
.tel is .dead
Earlier this week I received a 2-page letter from ICANN regarding my ".tel" application. Other than the fact that they concluded: "this .tel application, as currently written, did not satisfy any one of the categories of criteria: technical, business/financial, or sponsorship."
it seems that things are moving along nicely with their review.
Now I could be wrong about this but it seems that it may be safe to say that the pulver .tel application is now .dead.
For me this means that I now start exploring other means to help commercialize the use of ENUM inside the world of IP Communications.
Posted by jeff at 07:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
2004: Most Influential Person in Communications
A friend of mine just gave me the heads up that for the second year in a row, my name now shows up as one of the 50 "Most Influential Person in Communications" in a poll being taken for the "2004 World Communication Awards."
If you decide to vote, you need to vote for 5 of the 50 candidates. You also have an opportunity to suggested your own write-in candidate.
Posted by jeff at 07:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
August 05, 2004
Mets win 4th in a row...
While the FCC and CALEA has had my focus this week, the NY Mets have managed to pull together a four game winning streak. :-)
While beating the Brewers was a feat for these Mets, the real test starts tomorrow night.
We need to see how the Mets play against first place St. Louis. Now *if* the Mets can figure out how to take at least 2 of 3 this weekend, these Mets will look a lot more "real."
And if the Mets can win this weekend, hopefully
both the Mets and Cubs will be able to move up in their respective standings. :-)
Lets Go Mets!
Lets Go Cubs!
Posted by jeff at 11:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
FCC CALEA Ruling: Heard around the world
This morning I could not help but notice the global coverage yesterday's FCC meeting had. I woke up to seeing similar headlines in newspaper websites everywhere I looked - across: Asia, Europe and the Americas.
My take away on yesterday was that now is the time for the IP Communications industry to start to show it's true colors and deliver communication networks that do not have the sole characteristics of being a replacement/substitute technology but rather something innovative - something that can only be delivered by leveraging IP.
My read going in on the ruling was that the CALEA VoIP ruling would not apply to either Instant Messaging or IP Communication networks like Free World Dialup. Yesterday's FCC meeting confirmed this.
Personally, while I had hoped a CALEA ruling on VoIP could have been put off for a few more years, it was inevitable. Yesterday's decision was just another confirmation that 2004 was the year that some people on Capitol Hill (outside of the FCC) learned how to spell V-O-I-P.
Some selected news stories covering this:
The Boston Globe: Wiretap law to apply to Net calls
Australian Financial Review: US wants to wiretap internet calls
CNET: Feds back wiretap rules for Internet
Posted by jeff at 07:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
The Mets should put Mike Piazza out to stud
If Smarty Jones, the horse who this year won both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness can be put out to stud, then what about offering Mike Piazza the same kind fate?
While Mike has been a stud for the Mets in past seasons, in baseball there comes a time when you
should either retire or be traded or both. My hope is that the Mets will consider this sometime soon.
While they are at it, they should also consider offering early retirement to John Franco.
There was a time when both Piazza and Franco could be considered great. Right now they are borderline good.
Posted by jeff at 12:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
August 04, 2004
Reflection on CALEA Ruling @ FCC
The FCC has adopted the CALEA Declaratory Ruling and NPRM today at their August, 2004 meeting. I understand that the NPRM is intended to help create an environment in which VoIP can grow in a regulation-free environment, while still addressing lawful intercept concerns. I believe that the Declaratory Ruling clarifies that commercial wireless "push-to-talk" services are subject to CALEA, regardless of the technologies that Commercial Mobile Radio Service providers choose to apply in offering them. The wireless carriers employing push-to-talk have apparently already anticipated and accounted for this.
The more relevant issue for VoIP providers is the NPRM, which will include a tentative conclusion that, for purposes of CALEA ONLY, managed VOIP could meet the "substantial replacement" test and could be subject to CALEA obligations. I understand that the tentative conclusions are limited to the CALEA provisions. Importantly, the item does not propose to classify VoIP as a telecommunications services, and, therefore, should not take us down a slippery slope in which VoIP would be categorized as a telecom service and subject to the host of telecom regulations. Furthermore, the tentative conclusion that CALEA applies to managed VoIP services that are a "substantial replacement" to POTS, will not apply to non-managed services like Free World Dialup. In his Separate Statement, Chairman Powell specifically states, 'The item also tentatively concludes that non-managed, or disintermediated, VoIP and Instant Messaging are not subject to CALEA, and that it is unnecessary to identify future services and entities subject to CALEA.'
I understand that the NPRM will reinforce the FCC's commitment to holding a "Solution Summit" on law enforcement access to Internet voice communications. The Solution Summit will be an effort to develop forward-thinking solutions that meet law enforcement's legitimate needs without stifling the innovative potential of Internet communications.
The NPRM will apparently request comment on the feasibility of carriers relying on a trusted third party to manage their CALEA compliance obligations and whether standards for packet technologies are deficient and preclude carriers relying on them as safe harbors for complying with CALEA's capability requirements.
I believe that the NPRM is designed to address law enforcement issues but is also part of a broader effort to ensure that VoIP remains free of unnecessary requirements.
Having said all of this, the IP Communications industry still has to remain vigilant to ensure that the FCC does not impose unnecessary, onerous CALEA or other telecom obligations on IP-based communications applications. It will also be important for us to ensure that the national security issue does not sidetrack efforts to achieve a rational, deregulatory VoIP policy.
We are living in interesting regulatory times.
Posted by jeff at 05:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
FCC adopts the CALEA NPRM
As expected, the FCC adopted the CALEA NPRM at their August 4th meeting.
Below are the words of FCC Chairman Powell regarding CALEA:
STATEMENT OF
CHAIRMAN MICHAEL K. POWELL
Re: In the Matter of Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act and Broadband Access and Services, RM-10865, ET Docket No.
We are entering a dynamic space in the evolution of Internet voice services and applications. As technologies re-shape communications, this Commission must continually assess the needs of the law enforcement community under the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (“CALEA”). More and more people are taking advantage of these new and exciting competitive voice offerings, and we are starting to see substantial consumer and economic benefits emerge. The development and success of the Internet has been a result, in part, of our desire to maintain its minimally regulated status. Above all, law enforcement access to IP-enabled communications is essential. CALEA requirements can and should apply to VoIP and other IP enabled service providers, even if these services are “information services” for purposes of the Communications Act. The NPRM we issue today demonstrates that the interests of the law enforcement community can be fully addressed for potential information services and these interests need not be an excuse for imposing onerous common carrier regulations on vibrant new services.
Previous Commission action on CALEA has focused primarily on circuit-mode technology. Today’s item takes a major step in implementing CALEA, particularly with respect to new packet-mode technologies, by tentatively concluding that broadband Internet access services and managed voice over Internet protocol (“VoIP”) services are subject to CALEA. The item also tentatively concludes that non-managed, or disintermediated, VoIP and Instant Messaging are not subject to CALEA, and that it is unnecessary to identify future services and entities subject to CALEA. Additionally, the item addresses important compliance and cost issues, and requests comment on (1) the feasibility of carriers relying on a trusted third party to manage their CALEA compliance obligations; and (2) whether standards for packet technologies are deficient and preclude carriers relying on them as safe harbors for complying with CALEA’s capability requirements. Finally, in the companion Declaratory Ruling grants in part a Law Enforcement request in the Petition and clarifies that commercial wireless “push-to-talk” services are subject to CALEA, regardless of the technologies that Commercial Mobile Radio Service providers choose to apply in offering them.
I write to make clear that our tentative conclusion is expressly limited to the requirements of the CALEA statute and does not indicate a willingness on my part to find that VoIP services are telecommunications services under Title II of the Communications Act. We have before us a pending rulemaking and several petitions for declaratory ruling that address themselves to the classification of VoIP services and nothing in this item prejudices the outcome of those proceedings.
Our support for law enforcement is unwavering; it is our goal in this proceeding to ensure that law enforcement agencies have all of the electronic surveillance capabilities that CALEA authorizes to combat crime and terrorism and support Homeland Security. The Commission will devote the necessary resources to expeditiously and responsibly complete this task. In the interim, carriers, the law enforcement community and the Commission must continue to work in partnership to ensure that law enforcement retains access to the information they have now and to ensure that they have the tools they need in this ever changing environment.
Posted by jeff at 10:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Missing Bob Murphy: Voice of the Mets
One of the more familar voices in my life, beyond those from my immediate family was the voice of Bob Murphy.
"Murph", was the voice of the New York Mets from the time I was born until September 25th, 2003.
Yesterday Bob Murphy passed away, at the age of 79, after a fight with lung cancer.
As a long-time Mets fan, Bob, you will be missed. Besides the legacy of your own family, your voice has touched millions of kids who grew up listening to you and the Mets.
The summer isn't the same without you.
Posted by jeff at 09:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
FCC August Meeting: Starting at 9:30 AM
The FCC's August 2004 Meeting will be starting at 9:30 AM today.
The CALEA was second item to be discussed on their published agenda.
A live webcast of the meeting will be available.
Posted by jeff at 08:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
August 03, 2004
pulverRadio: Returning in September
After a series of delays, setbacks and more delays, pulverRadio will finally be back "On the Air!" in 2004.
Our current plan is to formally launch the station in September and spend the month of August experimenting with our new technology platforms.
When we launch, we will help define what we believe "progressive rock radio" is.
Posted by jeff at 06:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
FCC will adopt the CALEA NPRM at its August 4th Meeting
The FCC will be adopting the CALEA Declaratory Ruling and NPRM on Wednesday at the next FCC Meeting. I understand that the NPRM is intended to help create an environment in which VoIP can grow in a regulation-free environment, while still addressing lawful intercept concerns. I believe that the Declaratory Ruling will essentially impose some lawful intercept obligations on wireless push-to-talk services. The wireless carriers employing push-to-talk have apparently already anticipated and accounted for this.
The more relevant issue for VoIP providers is the NPRM, which will include a tentative conclusion that, for purposes of CALEA ONLY, managed VOIP could meet the "substantial replacement" test and could be subject to CALEA obligations. I understand that the tentative conclusions are limited to the CALEA provisions. Importantly, the item does not propose to classify VoIP as a telecommunications services, and, therefore, should not take us down a slippery slope in which VoIP would be categorized as a telecom service and subject to the host of telecom regulations. Furthermore, the tentative conclusion that CALEA applies to managed VoIP services that are a "substantial replacement" to POTS, will not apply to non-managed services like Free World Dialup.
I believe that the NPRM is designed to address law enforcement issues but is also part of a broader effort to ensure that VoIP remains free of unnecessary requirements.
Having said all of this, the IP Communications industry still has to remain vigilant to ensure that the FCC does not impose unnecessary, onerous CALEA or other telecom obligations on IP-based communications applications. It will also be important for us to ensure that the national security issue does not sidetrack efforts to achieve a rational, deregulatory VoIP policy.
May we live in interesting times...
Posted by jeff at 05:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
August 02, 2004
Pending Washington Post VoIP Regulation Editorial
Last week on my drive from New York to Washington, DC I was interviewed by someone responsible for the Washington Post Editorial Pages.
It turns out that VoIP Regulation will be the subject for a near-future Washington Post Editorial.
Just another sign how mainstream VoIP has become in 2004.
Posted by jeff at 08:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Now the Mets are 9 Games Out...
A few weeks ago the Mets were in the heart of their pennant race, mostly because no one team in their division was having a great season so everyone was in it.
Going into their weekend series with the Braves, six games out of first place, the Mets had a chance to make things interesting again. Instead Met fans wake up on Monday morning with their team now 9 games out of first place and without any clear signs that they will reclaim the winning spirit they had prior to the All-star break.
It may be time to invoke the spirit of Tug McGraw and start saying "Ya Gotta Believe."
I know I still do.
Posted by jeff at 07:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
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: 5,080,000 web hits and 3,260 News hits on the term VoIP.
This represents an incremental increase of 200,000 web hits since I last checked on July 19th.
Posted by jeff at 07:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Fall 2004 Telecom Policy Summit
Our Fall 2004 Telecom Policy Summit will be taking place on Monday, October 18th.
During this day long Fall 2004 VON pre-conference, delegates will get an update of what is happening in the area of VoIP regulation from the people whose day-to-day job deals with the regulators...and in some cases they are the regulators.
For our US coverage we will have people sharing their perspectives from: The FCC, The States and from Capitol Hill. We also have a discussion of International VoIP regulation.
Some of our confirmed speakers include:
A View from the Hill:
Looking at VoIP through the Portals: (FCC)
The State of VoIP Regulation:
Delegates attending Fall 2004 VON will be able to directly establish and engage in dialog with the regulators. I expect the resulting "outside of the beltway" dialog to be refreshing for all parties. :-)
If you are planning on attending Fall 2004 VON and if you are not yet registered, you have until September 3rd to register to take advantage of our special "early bird." pricing.
Posted by jeff at 07:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
August 01, 2004
VON Canada vs. VON Canada
A funny thing happened to us since we produced VON Canada 2004.
At pulver.com we have been producing our Voice on the Net, "VON" events since 1997.
Earlier this year, we produced our first domestic Canadian VoIP event, VON Canada 2004. The event by all accounts was a success and plans are underway for VON Canada 2005 which will be taking place April 19-21, 2005 in Toronto.
In Canada, it turns out that the term "VON" also means the: Victorian Order of Nurses. We recently were contacted by the Victorian Order of Nurses. The Victorian Order of Nurses provide home and community health care and they are afraid that people will confuse the name of our IP Communications event, "VON Canada" with their own organization.
To help keep us on good terms with the Canadian Nursing Industry, we will be calling our next event in Canada, "Voice on the Net Canada: 2005."
Hopefully we can both peacefully co-exist in Canada.
Posted by jeff at 10:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
FCC's Global Roundtable: Webcast archive is Online
There was some really good content and related data points shared during the FCC's recent Global Forum.
If you are interested in what is happening in the international world of VoIP, take the time to watch the meeting archive.
Posted by jeff at 08:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)