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November 30, 2004

Global Consumer VoIP Market Size as of: Q3 2004 - 6.85 Million!

Yesterday, my friend Teresa Mastrangelo from RHK shared with me their data thru Q3 2004 for the global consumer VoIP marketplace. These numbers do not include free services.

At the moment, while the VoIP hype factor is in full gear in the US, in reality the commercial VoIP services marketplace in the US is only a little more than 11% of the Asian activity and less than 10% of the global marketplace.

On a global basis, RHK estimates there are 6.85 million people who are paying for VoIP services as of Q3 2004.

Global Total: 6,850,000 Subscribers

Asia Pacific Region: 5.6 Million (Largest is SoftBank with 4.2M), Korea (150K), Hong Kong (1.2M PCCW and HKBN)

Europe, Middle East, Africa Region: 618,000 (FastWeb, B2, Neuf Telecom, assorted Cable Operators)

North America Region: 640,000.

Caribbean and Latin America Region: 7,000 -Liberty Cable. (RHK and I do believe there may be many more subscribers in South America that are not currently being accounted for.)

Posted by jeff at 08:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

February 15, 2005 – Celebrate Global VoIP Day!

February 15, 2005 will mark the tenth anniversary of VocalTec’s initial release of Internet Phone, a product which should forever be remembered as the application which launched the commercial VoIP industry when it was released on February 15, 1995.

I realize there are a number of other dates which one could argue have much more historic relevance with respect to the evolution of the commercial internet. However, I am not aware of any date more significant for the growing multi-billon dollar IP Communications Industry than the date in 1995 when Internet Phone was first released to the public.

Internet Phone was an application way ahead of it’s time and it performed quite well in the era of the dial-up internet when used on a circa 1994 Windows PC. VocalTec’s original team of developers who worked on Internet Phone are some of the true pioneers of the VoIP industry who hardly get the recognition that they deserve. Personally, I would like to see these developers get all the credit they deserve. :-)

In fact, what I would like to see the global IP Communications Industry recognize Tuesday, February 15, 2005 as the first Global VoIP Day. Let’s all use a VoIP application on February 15th!

Posted by jeff at 12:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

November 29, 2004

The Top VoIP Bloggers of 2004: Updated

Since I first posted my list of The Top VoIP Bloggers of 2004, I have been updating the list daily as additional people/resources are 'discovered.'

Posted by jeff at 08:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Exhibit Space at VON Europe 2005 Sold Out!

VON Europe 2005 does not take place until 23-26 May, 2005 in Stockholm, yet as of last Wednesday, the VON Sales team sold the last available booth space for that event. :-)

Based on the strength of VON Europe 2005 we are now looking at adding at least one additional European event to our 2005 VON events schedule.

The exhibit space at Spring 2005 VON is also close to being sold out. At the moment there are only three 10x30 booths and nine 10x20 booths available and there is already a growing waiting list for 10x10 booths.

Based on past experiences, it is never too early to make a hotel reservation to ensure that you will have a place to stay during the event.

Looks like 2005 will be 'the best year ever' for our VON events! :-)

Posted by jeff at 01:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ISP Planet's Attempt to Size the Q3 2004 VoIP Subscriber Marketplace

ISP Planet has published their own 'market research' attempting to size the VoIP marketplace by the number of 'subscribers.'

This information would be more valuable if it was presented in two categories: by service providers who offer 'free' memberships (like Skype and Free World Dialup) and by the number of people who pay for their services. I would have liked to see the list broken down by region of the world and at least attempted to capture the names of the more popular regional service providers, even if the subscriber numbers were missing.

The ISP Planet list is missing quite a number of players, most noticeably, YahooBB! with their reported 4 million+ paid subscribers.

Given the information I have access to with respect to the international VoIP marketplace, the numbers reported currently understate the size and depth of the global VoIP marketplace.

Posted by jeff at 01:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

November 28, 2004

9-1-1/VoIP Critical Issues Forum Starts on Tuesday

Carl Ford and members of the pulver.com team will be arriving in Santa Clara tomorrow. pulver.com together with the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) is producing another of our Critical Issues Forums. This one will be taking place November 30th thru December 2nd.

This Critical Issues Forum will bring the attending delegates up-to-date on NENA and VoIP industry work on current and future designs for 9-1-1 public safety communications systems. It also offers a forum to provide input into current and future system design.

December 1st marks the first anniversary of the FCC's VoIP Forum which was also the date of the landmark VON Coalition-NENA 9-1-1 agreement which had it's origins at our 2003 VON events.

The VoIP Industry has made progress during the past year working on 9-1-1 issues and this progress will be discussed during the course of the event.

Posted by jeff at 04:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The ALTS 2004 Business and Policy Conference

The ALTS 2004 Business & Policy Conference will be taking place on Wednesday, December 1st in Washington, D.C.

The recent BellSouth Petition and SBC's TIPToP service will most likely be the talk at the ALTS Conference.

Both Jonathan Askin and I will be speaking at this event.

Jonathan will be speaking in the morning on their VoIP Panel and I will be on an afternoon panel entitled: "Building the Future of Internet Communications."

This looks to be a day well spent in Washington.

Posted by jeff at 07:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

November 27, 2004

Use pulver.Communicator to send Instant Messages to US Cell Phones (SMS) via AOL

Juan Vides from pulver.com recently discovered that it is possible to use pulver.Communicator to to foward instant messages to SMS using AOL.

To give this a try, on pulver.Communicator, just add a buddy, choose AOL and type in your friend's cellphone number, using the format: "+1xxxxxxxxxx".

Posted by jeff at 11:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

The Enchanted World of Amy Zerner and Monte Farber

I’ve said in the past, “…Life experiences are a series of connect-the-dots puzzles, the challenge is figuring out the order to connect them.” During this past summer, the dots connected themselves once again and I had the pleasure to meet and spend a little time with two very special people, Monte Farber and Amy Zerner, and discover their Enchanted World.

There are times in my life when the coincidences seem to be little too coincidental, like how I met the CEO of jetBlue this week, and I wonder from time to time what that all means. I shared my Nicky Sixx story with Monte but we never did reveal any connections.

Monte emailed me recently and asked “…Could you visit our website - where you can see a video of us tarot and astrology for Alanis Morissette - and tell me what you think? We're only getting like 400 - 500 unique visitors a day and it should be more like a hundred times that. I know that Voice over the Net is your thing, but any suggestions that you could give us would be greatly appreciated.”

I took a look and I didn’t see anything to improve and I would appreciate any feedback I could share with Monte. Please drop me a line.

Posted by jeff at 09:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

November 26, 2004

CHAIRMAN POWELL ISSUES STATEMENT ON SBC’S TIPToP SERVICE

FCC Chairman Michael Powell issued the following statement earlier today concerning SBC’s new interstate connectivity service, known as TIPToP.

“SBC’s interstate tariff for TIPToP service comes at time when VoIP services are continuing to grab consumer attention by offering more choice, lower prices, greater value, and enhanced features. I am committed to ensuring that this Commission avoids any action that might slow the IP-services revolution.

Against this backdrop, the Commission, state utility commissions, and the courts all are considering the question of whether legacy access charges should apply to VoIP services. SBC’s tariff makes clear that TIPToP is not a mandatory offering and VoIP providers may continue to utilize alternatives to exchange their traffic. Should we conclude that this tariff is being used to justify the imposition of traditional tariffed access charges on VoIP providers or to discriminate against SBC’s competitors, the Commission will take appropriate action including, but not limited to, initiating an investigation of SBC’s interstate tariff and any other tariff that proposes similar terms. Nothing in this tariff should be interpreted to force a set of compensation relationships on VoIP providers and their connecting carriers either at this Commission or in other venues.

SBC’s tariff arrives at the Commission while we have before us three proceedings that raise issues related to the charges applicable to VoIP services – a petition filed by Level 3, our larger intercarrier compensation proceeding and a rulemaking on IP-enabled services. I look forward to considering these pending proceedings.”

Posted by jeff at 10:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Avoiding the lines (and the people) on “Black Friday”

In the United States, the Friday after Thanksgiving has turned into the largest retail shopping day of the year…and I try to do everything I can to avoid the traffic, the people and the long lines.

Like many weekends when I’m not otherwise on the road, I’m spending this weekend out in Eastern Long Island, near Westhampton Beach, in a place and a time which at the moment appears to be oblivious to the shopping mania happening elsewhere around Long Island.

Below are a few photos I took at around 9am this morning:





Posted by jeff at 02:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The Top VoIP Bloggers of 2004

I first started writing about VoIP back in 1995, but back then it wasn't considered 'blogging.'

During the course of 2004, there have been a number of people who have started to dedicate a significant portion of their time to blogging about the VoIP space.

Some of the people whose VoIP focused blogs I've discovered include:


Personal VoIP Blogs:

VoIP News Stories:


I am certain there are quite a number of other sources that I am missing. I would appreciate hearing about the missing VoIP Bloggers and related VoIP News websites from around the world.

Please drop me a line so that I can add to this list.

Posted by jeff at 10:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

November 25, 2004

The Dallas Cowboys and VoIP - A New Thanksgiving Day Tradition

destination CRM - VoIP Is a Good Call for the Cowboys

Posted by jeff at 11:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Happy Thanksgiving Day!

Thanksgiving Day in the United States is a day that I’ve traditionally known as a day of: family gatherings, to offer thanks, to share a festive holiday meal and to watch a football game or two.

Today used to be one of the days members of the US Ham Radio community would spend time on their radios, offering ‘phone patch’ services to members of the US Military to their loved ones back home. These days, with the advent of IP Communications and the broadband Internet, many family members are now able to engage in their own personal one to one communication sessions.

Looking back, the US VoIP Industry has a lot to be thankful for and I can’t help but appreciate how much has changed in the past twelve months. I can only imagine how interesting the next twelve months are most likely going to be.

Today is also a day when I really miss members of my own extended family who used to be there to share in our Thanksgiving Day festivities.

Happy Thanksgiving Day to All!

Posted by jeff at 09:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Pictures from visit to Stanford University

On Tuesday, November 23rd I was on the Stanford University campus from 7.30 AM until 1.30 pm. Below are some of the pictures I took while I was visiting.

Posted by jeff at 12:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

November 24, 2004

Paul Kapustka on RBOCs and VoIP

Advanced IP Pipeline: RBOCs Seeking Quick Checkmate On VoIP

Posted by jeff at 11:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Just arrived at JFK...

During the flight from San Jose to JFK I ended up meeting Dave Barger, President & COO of jetBlue and at the gate I had a chance to speak with their CEO, Dave Neeleman.

As a result of these meetings, my hope is for jetBlue to become the 'official' airline of Spring 2005 VON and I hope to have the person responsible for jetBlue's VoIP strategy speak at Spring 2005 VON.

:-)

Dave Barger, Jeff and Dave Neeleman

Posted by jeff at 06:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

November 23, 2004

A Great Day in Palo Alto!

This morning I found myself in a classroom at the Stanford Business School which was discussing the ‘business’ of VoIP. The professors had prepared what I believe to be the first business case study on VoIP at a major university. The case study itself focused on AT&T, Vonage and Free World Dialup. The case study itself will be available in the near future. I believe it will be appearing in a book co-authored by Andy Grove.

The class was a wonderful experience for me. I got to witness how fresh minds view what I have been trying to do for the past decade. While I was mostly trying to impart my experience to the class, I was secretly hopeful that the Stanford MBA candidates (not to mention their noted professors including Les Vadasz, one of the first Intel employees and a true pioneer) might give me some fresh insights into the future direction of VoIP. Although I don’t think I got any epiphanies, it was a fascinating give and take with the students and helped me to look at VoIP with fresh eyes.

After class, I was the invited guest speaker at the Stanford High Tech Club “brown bag” lunch.

After the Q&A with students I was invited to meet Dave Neeleman, CEO of jetBlue who by coincidence was also speaking at Stanford today. This certainly would have been an unexpected pleasure for me, and one of the great highlights of a great trip. For those of you who are regular readers of my blog, you are no doubt aware that I am a huge fan of jetBlue and have been trying to figure out how to promote the company and perhaps find ways to work with jetBlue. I, however, ended up getting sidetracked by a few inquisitive students (which was interesting itself), but I missed the opportunity to meet the jetBlue CEO or so I thought.

But now, it seems, I have been given a reprieve. When I got to the San Jose airport to check-in for my jetBlue flight home, it turned out that the jetBlue CEO will be taking the redeye with us back to New York. He is a person I’ve been wanting to meet for awhile. jetBlue’s obviously a much different business model than what VoIP offers but a rather interesting model in it’s own right. The CEO seems to be an interesting person in his own right.

I hope to find some common ground with him on the flight tonight since while he doesn’t know this, I consider myself one of jetBlue’s biggest fans. :-)

Posted by jeff at 11:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Stanford VoIP Case Study to be Presented Today!

In a couple of hours I will be leaving Rickey’s in Palo Alto to spend time the day at the Stanford University campus. The class I was invited to attend at starts at 8.00am and at noon I will be doing a Q&A session with the Stanford University High Tech Club members.

I’m looking forward to attending the morning class and answering the questions of the graduate students. It is not everyday that one can say that they were part of a case study. :-)

Special thanks to:
Les Vadasz, Philip Meza, Robert Burgelman for making the case study a reality.

Posted by jeff at 08:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

VoIP Dinner at La Strada in Palo Alto, CA

Last night I hosted a dinner gathering with some friends at La Strada in Palo Alto, CA, in celebration of the professors responsible for the VoIP Case Study that Stanford Graduate School of Business will be publishing on November 23rd.

The three hours for dinner went by real fast and during the course of the evening, quite a number of people were engaged in focused conversations.

Below are some pictures from last night:

Lauren Gelman, Alistair Woodman, Mike Borsetti, Scott Nisbet, Val Babajov, Eric Sachs

Brad Templeton, Andy Abramson, Orkut Buyukkokten

Geoff Ralston, Philip Meza, Robert Burgelman

Jeff Pulver

Jonathan Askin, Robert and Les Vadasz

Richard Brennan and Philip

Brad, Orkut, Scott, David Beckemeyer, Mike Borsetti and Scott Kargman

Andy, Brad, Orkut, Jonathan, Mike, Scott, David and Val

The Professors: Philip, Robert and Les

Posted by jeff at 03:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

November 22, 2004

VoIP: Present, Futures and Dinner later today

In a couple of hours in Palo Alto, CA I will be hosting a small gathering of friends in honor of the three professors from the Stanford Graduate School of Business who will be publishing their case study on VoIP tomorrow morning in their graduate class.

Our dinner tonight will bring together these professors together with some of the VoIP bloggers who I read on a regular basis together with friends from: Cisco, Earthlink, Google, Yahoo! and others from the Silicon Valley VoIP Industry.

I expect a fun dinner tonight. :-)

Posted by jeff at 08:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Another jetBlue Day!

This morning I find myself in a familiar spot at JFK terminal 6 with free Wi-Fi access waiting for my jetBlue flight to Oakland, CA.

In 2005 my hope is that jetBlue will introduce high-speed Wi-Fi access on their flights.

Posted by jeff at 08:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

email Anonymous: Trying to fix my email forwarding black hole

During the past few years as I’ve become more and more dependent on using email as my primary form of business communication, the amount of email I receive on a regular basis just continues to grow.

At pulver.com, I find the amount of email that I receive and forward to someone else has also been growing. While this organic growth of personal in-house email forwarding would be expected, the side effect is that I rarely remember to notify the person who sent me the email in the first place. For them, until the person I forwarded the email to gets back to them, (if they get back to them), they are sitting in a virtual black email hole, not knowing that I forwarded their email, not knowing that their email was read and in fact acted upon.

To make things even more challenging, when I do forward an email to one or more people, since I’m normally in a rush when I’m reviewing my incoming email, at best I add an FYI to the email, not enough to even give the person receiving the email a clue that this was an email to be acted upon. Add to that the fact that once I read an email I rarely go back and re-read an email, if the person I sent the FYI to doesn’t properly interpret my intentions, the sender of the original email is still left in my personal email black hole.

I wonder how many other people find themselves in a similar situation on a regular basis and what proactive steps we can do to help stop this before it becomes more of a problem? I’m told that admission is the first step. Maybe after 11 more steps, this email habit can be properly addressed.

Posted by jeff at 05:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

A Little Free Advice for the World's Incumbent Telephone Companies

[Please note that to my knowledge the new communications service I am about to suggest does not currently exist.]

Now that Verizon, BellSouth and SBC have all formally announced their VoIP ambitions, look for each of these companies to begin offering their own variation of what I am calling Softline Service in 2005. In effect, Softline Service is an optional new service that will support the use of a softphone with an associated primary residential phone line service. This service would offer a level of mobility to what used to be known as fixed, wireline service.

This in turn means that a consumer would have the ability to receive their incoming residential phone service whenever they were on the road. As long as they could connect to the broadband internet, including inside of Wi-Fi hotspots, their home phone number would be within reach, for both receiving and placing outbound phone calls. This service could support the use of both software based phones and hardware IP phones -- in the end it really shouldn't matter.

As "Voice is an Application", it is inevitable that the legacy phone companies will connect.the.dots and present Softline Service as a broadband parasite.

My suggested Softline Service strategy is something that any telephone company can execute and is available to virtually all incumbent operators operating in countries with decent-to-better broadband penetration. And given the relative limited amount of capex necessary to execute this vision, Softline Service could quickly become an even more profitable ILEC offering than their existing second line telephone business.

Of course, for the right price pulver.com will happily provide essential help in the development, production, and deployment of Softline Services. ;-)


Posted by jeff at 05:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

November 21, 2004

Tomorrow in Palo Alto

Tomorrow will be another jetBlue day for me as I'm making another trip to the West Coast, this time focused on Palo Alto, CA.

Tomorrow night I will be hosting a small dinner party in Palo Alto in honor of the three Stanford professors who will be publishing their first VoIP case study on Tuesday.

While I'm in town I have a pretty busy schedule where I hope to catch up with some old friends and spend time on the Stanford campus.

I've been looking forward to this trip ever since I first learned about the work being done on the Stanford VoIP case study.

Posted by jeff at 06:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

When “Speak” doesn’t mean “Talk”

One word I'm having trouble with these days is the word 'speak.' If 'speak' was the name of a product or a service and not just a verb in the English language, the company which owned the 'speak' trademark would be having the kind of trouble that Xerox had when it became the term to represent photo copying or when Kleenex started to represent all facial tissues.

There was a time when to speak to someone meant that you actually engaged in 2-way voice conversation.

These days when dealing with people who are actively engaged in IP Communications, the word 'speak' is used to describe so many different kinds of communication: a face-to face conversation, an SMS message, an IM, a phone call, an email (and more) and as such it no longer matters what form contact takes, just that contact is made.

I am in search of a new term for use in the world of IP Communications to be used to reflect this.

Any suggestions?

Posted by jeff at 08:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

November 20, 2004

I've been slashdotted!

Om Malik and I have just been slashdotted.

At the monent it is the top story on Slashdot.

Slashdot: SBC's VoIP End Run

Posted by jeff at 11:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Xchange Magazine on the BellSouth Petition

Xchange: BellSouth Petition to FCC Threat to VoIP, Says Pulver

Posted by jeff at 07:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

America's Network: Story on my recent "Fashion Statement:"

America's Network: The allure of fashion

(the link now seems to be working)

Posted by jeff at 07:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

James Seng on IPv6 Day

James Seng posted a reply to my suggestion earlier this week for IPv6 Day.

Posted by jeff at 07:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

November 19, 2004

Netflix Poker Night in NYC with Phil Hellmuth and Danny Askin

Last night Netflix held “A Night of Poker” which was hosted by my friend Phil Hellmuth who was promoting his latest book: Bad Beats and Lucky Draws. The first prize winner won a seat at the 2005 World Series of Poker.

The night started off interesting when the PR agency for the event gave out the wrong address for the party and as a result I discovered the “New York City Players Club” a place where Texas Hold’m is played every day from 2pm to 4am in Manhattan. The club is on 72nd street and it turned out that I actually had at be on 10th Street. The experience of being in the wrong place at the start of the night to be felt like a scene out of a movie and the Poker club I visited felt like being on a movie set, except it was real.

When I finally arrived at the venue for the event, I found out that the people who were invited to play in the poker event were members of New York City media and were writers from a variety of magazines. During the course of the night I played against writers from: Rolling Stone, FHM, Playboy, New York Post and a bunch of freelancers.

While I was attending the event as a “Friend of Phil” this was the first time I used my VON Magazine “media” credential as the reason why I too should be allowed to play, since the PR folks running the event on behalf of Netflix initially thought I should be an observer and not a player at the event. Joining me was Danny Askin, Jonathan Askin’s brother and the person who helped coordinate the poker event we had in Boston during VON. Danny was one of the last of 60 people to sit down and join the poker tournament when it started.

The first couple of rounds went by real quickly and while I was never a chip leader, I managed to conserve enough chips to make to 12th place in the event. In fact, I was just a few chips shy of making it to the final table. Danny on the other hand was having a great night, so great that by the time we all took the final break prior to moving to the last two tables, Danny was asked by Netflix to leave the tournament!

At the time Danny was asked to leave, he was the chip leader of the tournament. What I learned later was that since he came into the event also as a “Friend of Phil” there were people who felt he was a ‘ringer’ and was in a position to actually win the $10,000 prize.. What is ironic was that Phil hardly knew Danny which is exactly what Phil told Netflix, but nonetheless, Danny was just playing too well and Netflix thought he was a ringer, not a writer, so in the end there was just no way to rationally reason with our host. While there was a winner at the Netflix Poker Night last night, it should be noted that Danny Askin “could have been a contender.”

Posted by jeff at 07:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Searching for Bobby Fischer: Are we all just pawns in SBC's Chess Game?

I just read an insightful blog by Om Malik about the likely path SBC might be taking with regard to rollout of its various IP-based products and services.

According to Om Malik, SBC deserves a lot of credit for orchestrating what might prove to be a brilliantly-calculated multi-tiered, multi-pronged, multi-fora effort to take over the world of communications. SBC has just announced its intention to rollout VoIP and IP-TV products. These announcements come right on the heels of dramatic regulatory changes (which we all pushed for as well) that would allow SBC to proceed unfettered by onerous state regulations. According to the blog, SBC has "monopolistic control of the last mile of today and the future" and "near total ownership of the wireless waves." Combined with the emerging deregulatory landscape, and SBC's desire and ability to dictate the terms of interconnection and access by, to and between VoIP provides and consumers, SBC might be able to control the future of communications.

First off, let me state that I admire SBC for jumping, full force, into the IP-enabled future. Even without SBC's announcements, it is clear that VoIP is ready for prime-time. I, however, have some concerns about the future of the unaffiliated VoIP providers once the big boys get in the game and are able to muscle out our friends. I want to trust that SBC will provide the unaffiliated VoIP providers fair access to the network and to end-users, but I still harbor some concerns. Call it deja vu, call it paranoia, but I seem to recall many of the early ISPs and CLECs getting muscled out by the Bells, soon after they were the "bells of the ball" and the sought after dance partner of every regulator, politician, vendor and Bell Company at the Dance. Now, many of these precocious Prom Queens are the wallflowers at the dance, if not Carrie's victims at Prom Night. I recall a company called "Excite@Home" that offered services to the cable industry, up until the point at which cable figured out how to freeze it out. I want to trust SBC, and I hope they give me good reason to trust them. We all want robust, all-IP, all-broadband networks, and SBC is one of the major players that will give it to us. But, I also want to make sure that there is a continued place at the table for the unaffiliated VoIP providers and some assurance that consumers will be able to maximize the value of the Internet and can control their own communications experience. But, fool me once ....

Om Malik praises SBC's ingenuity. I must too, although I'm not sure how much is the result of genius, how much is luck, and how much is simply due to their ability to parlay their historic telecom monopoly into the new converged communications world. I guess it is possible that there is a "mad genius" (or perhaps a team of geniuses, or is it genii? -- I'll have to ask someone at SBC) at SBC who has developed an elaborate plan to take over the world of communications. But, it is also just as likely that SBC lucked into the current situation. I don't really know if there is anyone at SBC who has figured out all the angles of the 3-D chess game SBC appears to be playing with the FCC and the Industry). I doubt that there are many, if any, regulators or industry analysts who have successfully pieced together the elaborate, intertwined, pleadings and offerings SBC has recently submitted, offered, or announced that it would submit or offer soon. I haven't yet been able to wind my way through the maze to see what an SBC-orchestrated future looks like. Having said all this, I do admire SBC's efforts to jump into the IP-based fray and future. But I feel compelled to approach their efforts with some concern -- if only because I haven't yet put all the pieces together.

So why is this issue coming to a head? On the eve of SBC's announced rollout of its exciting new IP-based products, SBC seems poised to submit a new tariff which would establish a preferred procedure for unaffiliated VoIP providers to reach SBC's PSTN customers. The "TIPTop" service would be Federally tariffed and offered directly to all VoIP providers (including SBC's own VoIP affiliate -- SBC-IP) on allegedly nondiscriminatory rates terms and conditions. Potential problems emerge if this offering turns out to be comparable to SBC's traditional long distance access service, which seems to be SBC's intention. Does it really matter to SBC or SBC-IP if it has to overpay for this product? It certainly would matter to any unaffiliated VoIP provider. If SBC is true to their word that the TIPTop service offering is voluntary and it is not going to sue providers who continue to send VoIP traffic over recip comp trunks -- no one has to take the TIPTop product. But even then, SBC could be establishing the template and precedent by which all VoIP providers should gain access to Bell customers. And all this before the FCC has had an opportunity to complete its intercarrier compensation and VoIP rulemakings to determine whether it should change its rules and require VoIP providers to begin paying access charges. If the TIPTop product is more expensive then the interconnection options currently favored by VoIP providers, then the tariff would certainly beg the question, "Why offer a service if you know no one wants it?" Some might speculate that SBC's product could mean the end of a VoIP provider's ability to gain customer access through PRI end office interconnect via the Bell or a competitive LEC.

On the one hand, SBC is claiming that the reason it is bringing its IP tandem interconnection product to market is to provide a feature-rich and more efficient means of interconnection to the VoIP industry. If, however, SBC wanted to create a product for the VoIP community, it probably should have consulted with its potential customers -- the VoIP providers who want access to PSTN end users. The majority of the VoIP industry seems unaware of any such efforts prior to this week and only in response to concerns leveled by the VoIP Industry and the FCC. In fact, it seems that many aspects of the product are either unacceptable to VoIP providers or are based on assumptions that are incorrect or off-base. First, SBC's tandem interconnection product cannot be used by any unregulated VoIP providers unless and until these providers have direct access to their own telephone numbers. SBC-IP (SBC's unaffiliated VoIP subsidiary) has filed a waiver petition with the FCC seeking this right. Unfortunately, the record provided by SBC does not clearly answer questions regarding how unregulated, non-carrier VoIP providers would make use of the databases and routing guides necessary to ensure that data streams flow in the right direction. Assuming, however, that it is SBC's goal to have unregulated VoIP providers treated as carriers so that the price of SBC's product is consistent with the FCC's compensation rules, which permit one type of charges to be imposed on other carriers and another type of charges on end-users, then perhaps the numbering waiver petition fits neatly within SBC's master plan.

At the same time, SBC has sued or otherwise threatened a couple of VoIP providers who have tried to reach customers through PRIs and by running VoIP traffic over local recip comp trunks, making it more difficult for unaffiliated VoIP providers to reach PSTN customers through any entity other than SBC. What's perhaps most bizarre to me is that SBC is the only Bell Company that signed off on the ICF Proposal submitted recently to the FCC which would move all intercarrier compensation to bill and keep for all forms of intercarrier connections; at the same time, SBC seems to be the most intransigent about trying to make all VoIP providers pay excessive access rates that bear no correlation to the cost of providing access for as long as possible. SBC seems to believe that its signature on the ICF Proposal is an indication that it is more reasonable than the other Bell Companies on compensation issues. If so, give the VoIP industry another demonstration of your commitment to VoIP and give the industry a product they can use at a reasonable, cost-based rate.

I don't know that we should fly off the handle just yet. Prominent members of the VoIP industry and some of the largest potential purchasers of SBC's TIPTop product (outside of SBC-IP) have spent much of this week trying to negotiate an acceptable interconnection product with SBC, and some at SBC genuinely seem inclined to develop a suitable product and attractive rates. I, however, am still skeptical that they will ultimately come up with a product that looks like anything other than an above-cost access product.

Finally, I do find it somewhat ironic that SBC calls its product "TIPTop." The "TIP" in TIPTop apparently stands for "True IP", but it seems that any VoIP provider would have to hand-off its traffic to SBC in TDM format. This, to me, is not "True IP". Where is the SIP-to-SIP interconnection that the industry needs? It is understandable that SBC would offer a product that favors the old-world technologies that are still embedded in SBC's network. But if SBC really wants to make a difference in the IP industry, then offer us a product that allows us to hand-off the traffic as "true IP", and maybe we can move away from these arcane debates about access rates and start unifying the IP services industry around prices and technologies that are as efficient and innovative as the true IP industry knows.

With so much attention focused on the ILEC-CLEC infighting, sometimes we forget that the Bell model (to its credit) has historically been premised on an open-access model -- the Bells have always wanted to maximize use of their network. I hope that is the case as we move into an IP world, with ferocious competition at the application layer. The problem with the CLEC model was that the ILECs and CLECs could not agree on a fair price for wholesale access. In the meantime, cable and wireless ate their lunch. Let's hope that the Bells and the unaffiliated VoIP community do not fall prey to the same stand-off. I still hope that we will all figure out a way to ensure that the unaffiliated VoIP providers can reach end-users, so that consumers have fair choice among IP-based applications, and so that the Bell Companies can get a fair return on their investment and enough incentive to build the all IP, broadband networks of the future.

Posted by jeff at 01:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

November 18, 2004

Special “Early Bird” Spring 2005 VON Promotion

While Fall 2004 VON is still fresh in my mind, I just heard that one of the conference hotels in San Jose that we are using for Spring 2005 VON is already sold out. In addition, our exhibit floor is also on the edge of being sold out. Given this information, I figured it wasn’t too early to start to promote the conference delegate registrations for our next VON event.

From today until the end of November, readers of my blog who register for the event, are able to save an additional US$ 200 off the “early bird” pricing of: “Full Conference” and/or “VON Package” delegate fees for Spring 2005 VON. Just use the priority code: JPNOVBLOG when visiting the registration page.

While Spring 2005 VON is on your mind, if you are not from the Silicon Valley area and will need a hotel room it turns out that now is also a great time to make your hotel reservations.

The pulver.com VON speaker team is currently working on the conference schedule and we are in the process of confirming the over 350 expected speakers.

If you have any questions about Spring 2005 VON, please feel free to email: von2005@pulver.com.

Posted by jeff at 08:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Added to my Agenda: Emerging Issues Policy Forum - 2005

Yesterday I was invited to be a speaker at the Emerging Issues Policy Forum "EIPF" - fifth annual Communications Forum which will be taking place February 27-March 1 2005 in Amelia Island, FL.

"...Our annual forums attract the participation of key federal and state regulators, as well as top executives within the industry."

From what I heard, this is a great event to be invited to and be a part of.

Posted by jeff at 07:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

November 17, 2004

Jeff's Proposal for IPv6 Day

Back on May 29, 2002 in the Pulver Report I wrote:

"While it might be both highly impractical and idealistic to think that
we can empower a movement for what hopefully will be known as IPv6 day,
for the sake of the future of the internet and for the future viability
of IP Communications, the time has come to push for this to happen, and
hopefully happen sometime in 2002.

Collectivity we should pick a day, at some point in the near and
foreseeable future and push everyone to reboot themselves and make it such
that from that point forward, IPv6 will be supported on all networks which
interact with the public Internet.

Some of the issues we face as an industry in traversing NATs and Firewalls
and security could be more easily solved when/if this day happens.

I'm not sure an act of Congress will make this day happen any faster than
getting the collective will of the people behind this action, but we should
all be doing everything we can to make sure that IPv6 is supported on the
public internet."

I stand by this proposal, again today.

How about making this happen in 2005?

Thoughts/comments/suggestions?: Just drop me a line.

Posted by jeff at 06:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

November 16, 2004

Spring 2005 VON Exhibit Floor...Almost Sold Out!

I just took another look at our Spring 2005 Floor Plan and I was amazed to see that we only have 4 10x10 booths still available, together with only 3 20x30 booths and 12 10x20 booths!

At the rate these booths are being sold, there is a pretty good chance that Spring 2005 VON will be more or less sold-out by the end of the month. Companies that are "thinking about" exhibiting at Spring 2005 VON will need to make a decision soon or risk missing the opportunity to have a presence on the show floor,

At Spring 2005 VON we recently have introduced a new "Stealth Marketing" Sponsorship. This sponsorship is for companies who wish to make a big splash on-site at Spring 2005 VON but need to operate "under the radar" prior to the event. Companies who would like to take advantage of our new Stealth Marketing sponsorship can feel free to drop me a line.

Posted by jeff at 10:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Working on the next Pulver Report

While I blog on a daily basis, looking back, it has been some time since the last Pulver Report has gone out.

The November issue should be going out in the next day or so.

If there are readers who would like to be listed in the next "People on the Move" section, please send email to: jeffp@pulver.com.

Posted by jeff at 07:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lester Craft on my recent "Fashion Statement"

Americas Network: The allure of fashion

(something happened to the link to the story.)

Posted by jeff at 12:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Exploring the Future at Internet2

I'm sitting in a meeting in Ann Arbor at the HQ of Internet2 where we are talking about the evolution of "rich" personal IP based communications.

I'm not sure why it took me so long to make my first visit to Ann Arbor but I look forward to coming back and working with Internet2 and exploring the future with them.

Posted by jeff at 09:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

First visit to the Campus Inn -- Ann Arbor, MI

While I was never able to find the broadband connection in my hotel room, it didn't matter as I was able to get free Wi-Fi access simply by placing my computer near the window in my room and scanning for avaialble open access points.

Free works just fine for me. :-)

BTW, Ann Arbor is a college town in the true sense of the word.

Go Blue!

Posted by jeff at 07:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

November 15, 2004

At LGA...Next Stop Detroit!

Just getting ready to take a flight to Detroit tonight for an Internet2 meeting tomorrow morning in Ann Harbor, MI.

Tomorrow I will be spending the day at the SIP.edu working group meeting at Internet2 HQ in Ann Harbor, MI.

Posted by jeff at 07:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Declan McCullagh: VoIP backers should celebrate Bush win

CNET: VoIP backers should celebrate Bush win

Posted by jeff at 08:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CNET Reviews: Internet Phones vs. Regular Phones

CNET: Internet phones vs. plain old telephone service.

Based on the criteria used by CNET, it was no surprise to me that the winner was a "draw." In fact, given the criteria, I would not have been surprised if Internet Phones “lost.”

I for one do not recommend looking at “Internet Phones” as a direct replacement or substitute for “regular phones.”

The real value from this technology shift will come once service providers (and the people who review such services) better appreciate IP based communication platforms and start to offer integrated communication services which blend together elements of: presence, instant messaging and voice.

Forcing comparisons like the one in this CNET article is just like some Washington D.C. lobbyists trying to get regulators to apply legacy telecom regulations to IP based Communications...it makes no sense and misses the point of what IP Communications is all about.

Posted by jeff at 08:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Business of Poker

It has taken awhile, but in 2004, two of my personal pursuits of junior high school from the mid 1970s, communications and poker, are now both mainstream.

As much as 2004 has been the year VoIP went mainstream, Poker has also gone mainstream in 2004.

Last week a story about the effects of Poker on kids was covered on the front page of the Sunday New York Times and I just read an Associated Press story discussing the business of poker.

I've known Phil Hellmuth since 1998 and I think it is great that he and others from the Poker Industry are finally being recognized.

BTW -Phil is on a book tour at the moment promoting his latest book and direct to video DVDs.

Posted by jeff at 06:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm Still concerned about the BellSouth "Sleeper Issue" Petition

Last Monday I blogged my concern regarding what could be this season's "sleeper Issue" that left alone might devastate unaffiliated VoIP ASPs.

I haven't seen much reference to this yet in the telecom trade press and my hope is that this petition does not remain a "sleeper" petition going forward.

During the course of the past week, I did hear from friends of mine at Verizon who tried in effect to assure me that the BellSouth petition was really nothing to worry about. In fact, if it was Verizon who were the ones the who filed this petition, I might feel a little comfortable.

So far I haven't heard from anyone at BellSouth who would explain the real intentions of this petition, so I continue to be worried. Now that the Vonage Order is behind us, my hope is that the Beltway Regulatory Community can take a hard look at Bellsouth's Forbearance Petition and weigh-in on both sides of the subject.

This is one petition that pulver.com will participate in during the pleading cycle.

Posted by jeff at 05:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

In Search of... a pulver.com Enterprises Senior Marketing Executive

I've noted before, during 2004 I have been incubating a few companies within the friendly confines of pulver.com. The one thing these companies have in common is that they operate within the IP Communications space. They run the gamut across: VoIP Hardware, VoIP Software and IP Communication services.

I've now reached a crossroads in the lifecycles of these companies and the time has come to seek out a dynamic marketing person to join our senior management team.

The ideal candidate has a track record of past success as a marketing executive within the IP Communications space, is from the metro New York City area (or would like to move here) and would not mind a day job which was based out of Melville, New York.

If any such candidates exist, please feel free to reach to me directly by sending email to: jeffp@pulver.com.

Please: Principals only; I have no interest working with any agencies.

Posted by jeff at 12:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

November 14, 2004

pulverRadio now in Beta!

I was inspired to bring back pulverRadio last December when I was on vacation reading a book Kory Kessel sent me called: fm: The Rise and Fall of Rock Radio by Richard Neer.

After months of work by both Ian Bell and Michael McClenathan, pulverRadio has returned and is now operating as a 'live beta.'

pulverRadio is commercial free and is a free-form progressive rock radio station that some of us who grew up listening to Rock Radio in the 70s would be proud of. (At least I hope they would be.)

Please give pulverRadio a listen and please share your feedback with us.

pulverRadio - Raw Rock Radio!

Posted by jeff at 12:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

November 13, 2004

Jeff Citron Interview in Red Herring

Red Herring: In the vanguard of VoIP.

Posted by jeff at 12:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tipping point for VoIP - Dec 1, 2003 FCC Forum

Looking back at the past twelve months, it was the FCC's VoIP Forum held on December 1, 2003 in Washington, D.C. that appears to have been the commercial tipping point for VoIP.

The full day FCC meeting, carried live at the time on CSPAN, helped set the tone and the agenda and helped fuel the buzz for VoIP in the US and around the world.

Looking back, I am very grateful for having been given the opportunity to participate in what will be remembered as a historic event in the history of VoIP.

Posted by jeff at 12:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The First Signs of Winter

This morning I woke up to an "icy mix" on Eastern Long Island with snow falling to the ground.

I guess I can't get over the fact that it is almost Thanksgiving. For me it feels like just the other day it was still the summer and now it is starting to feel a lot like the winter. ;-)

Of all of the years of recent memory, 2004 seems to have gone by the fastest.

Posted by jeff at 08:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

November 12, 2004

FCC Posts the Vonage Preemption Order

Earlier today, the FCC posted the Vonage Preemption Order.

Posted by jeff at 10:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Joss Stone won't be playing Spring 2005 VON...

For our Spring 2005 VON "All Conference Party" I've been working on putting together a night of "Rock and Soul."

While the band Jet is still in the running, I found out earlier today that Joss Stone is not available to play our party.

:-(

I hope to have this resolved by the end of the month.

Posted by jeff at 10:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

San Jose Merc Opinion Piece on VoIP

The Mercury News: VoIP: let it grow, let it grow

Posted by jeff at 07:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Carl Ford on the upcoming E9-1-1 and VoIP Critical Issues Forum

Have you been paying attention to our announcements of an upcoming
E9-1-1 and VoIP Critical Issues Forum, co-hosted by VON and NENA
(National Emergency Number Association)? If you haven't or have
decided that participation is not worth the effort, read on and then
decide.

While this week's FCC action was another important step forward for
the VoIP industry, several positive but cautionary comments were made
about resolving E9-1-1 issues. pulver.com will be hosting the Critical
Issues Forum at Santa Clara on November 30 to December 2nd. This is
the place where we as a community look at the progress of standards
and the availability of solutions today

The FCC news release stressed that the decision "does not signal
Vonage may cease its efforts to develop workable solutions" regarding
E9-1-1. It stated that the FCC will be addressing such issues
"comprehensively, with the participation of our state and local
colleagues, in the broader IP-Enabled Services Proceeding." Since the
order does include preemption for other Vonage-type VoIP services,
such as those offered by cable companies, LECs, and others, it would
appear that that warning also applies to them.

Offering important advice as to what the FCC is examining, Chairman
Michael Powell stated "with regard to critical 911 capability for
VOIP, I note already that several Internet voice providers have
entered into an agreement with the National Emergency Number
Association to extend 911 capabilities to Internet voice services to
'promote a fully functional 9-1-1 system that responds any time,
anywhere from every device.' Efforts such as these are essential to
educating policy makers and providing a basis for solutions to complex
technical problems. These can and will serve as models for VOIP."

Other Commissioners also reiterated the need to, as Commissioner
Kathleen Abernathy put it, "adopt rules to the extent necessary to
ensure the fulfillment of our core policy goals, including access to
E911.."

A very cautionary statement was made by Commissioner Jonathan
Adelstein, who stated, "I also have reservations about our preemption
of a State's efforts to ensure the public safety of its citizens,
based here on the linkage of the 911 requirement with a State
certification." He added, "Our (FCC) approach of overriding States'
public safety efforts without clear federal direction takes us into a
dangerous territory in which consumers may come to rely on services
without the benefit of the critical safety net that they have come to
expect."

Can the VoIP community prove that it can address critical public
safety/9-1-1 needs and provide guidance regarding future federal
direction?

Participation in the upcoming pulver.com / NENA E9-1-1 and VoIP
Critical Issues Forum will offer considerable help and expertise by
panel members/speakers to VoIP providers and vendors, particularly
those who have not been actively participating in the past several
months of ongoing technical solutions development work. The input of
industry attendees will provide meaningful and helpful assistance as
this work quickly continues forward.

Increased VoIP industry participation in and support of this event
will help demonstrate to the regulators, the legislators, and others
that there is a serious commitment to resolve important social policy
issues such as E9-1-1.

Full details are available at: www.pulver.com/cif911.

Kind regards,

Carl Ford
pulver.com

Posted by jeff at 12:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

November 11, 2004

ISP Planet Story on Jeff's keynote at Fall 2004 ISPCON

ISP Planet: Pulver Says the Future is Purple.

A copy of the presentation is available here.


Posted by jeff at 02:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Still Crazy After All These Years...

These past twelve months have represented the most interesting and exciting times in my history of VoIP and the world of IP Communications. I remember spending the time exactly a year ago at our 2003 Wireless Internet Summit working on my testimony for the FCC's first VoIP Forum which took place December 1, 2003, worrying about what was going to be said and the effects thereof.

I never imagined that just within a year, I would meet the President of the United States (albeit briefly), The Pulver Order would have happened, the Vonage Order would have happened, that I would have had the opportunity to participate in two FCC Forums, testify at a US Senate proceeding, be invited to testify at a US House of Representatives Proceeding and testify in Ottawa at a Canadian VoIP proceeding, as well as New York City Hall, as well as a host of some other very interesting venues and forums, most recently with the keynote at Fall 2004 ISPCON.

During 2004 our VON Events experienced growth we never had previously experienced with our event community sizes literally doubling over the course of just one year. 2005 looks to be our best year ever from the events perspective.

While pulver.com has only one remaining conference scheduled to produce in 2004, members of the pulver.com team will continue to be busy on the road over the next few weeks attending and speaking at a number of conferences and meetings in the US and around the world.

Looking ahead, I am looking forward to being at Stanford University on November 23rd for the release of their VoIP case study and being in Washington, DC to attend the Annual FCC Chairman's Dinner
on December 2nd and again on December 9th when the DC Bar - Computer and Telecommunications Law Section is hosting a reception in my honor. :-)

I am especially looking forward to hosting the pulver.com 10th Anniversary "Gala" event that will be taking place in NYC on the night of December 14th.

Looking ahead, my hope is to remain in the words of Paul Simon, "Still Crazy After All These Years."

Stay tuned.

Posted by jeff at 09:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Two Years since the launch of Free World Dialup

Today marks the two year anniversary since the launch of Free World Dialup and the thought of this brings back many memories.

So much has changed in the world of VoIP in the two years since we launched Free World Dialup. So much has happened in the past year.

For what it's worth, FWD has grown by 240,000 members in the past year, with our membership standing today at around 315,000, and FWD continues to grow in both features and in membership.

When FWD was first launched, part of the strategy was to in effect "help raise the tide of VoIP" under the theory that "a raising tide helps all" and during the course 2003, FWD in effect helped contribute to the rebirth of VoIP and helped the IP Communications industry to become alive again.

Given this purpose, I believe FWD has served the industry well.

Posted by jeff at 09:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

November 10, 2004

Skype API Now Available

Back in May during Voice on the Net Canada 2004, Skype CEO Nikolas Zennströms mentioned to me that he would be publishing an API for Skype. It was during Voice on the Net Canada 2004 that Nikolas first spoke about SkypeOut and SkypeIn.

Developers who are interested in developing applications that leverage the Skype API can learn more about it by visiting: http://www.skype.com/community/devzone/.

I look forward to hearing about applications developed that leverage the Skype API

Posted by jeff at 10:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Forbes story on Vonage Order

Forbes.com: FCC Gives Internet Calls Half A Push.

Posted by jeff at 08:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

pulver.Communicator: Lightweight RSS Reader and Video too!

The latest beta build of pulver.Communicator (beta .94.2) now also provides a lightweight RSS and Atom Reader and also enables Video Instant Messaging. This version also introduces our social networking “degrees of separation” concept for managing the list of people from whom you are willing to accept an incoming communication request.

With the advent of these features, pulver.Communicator is able to showcase more examples of both synchronous and asynchronous IP based communications.

pulver.Communicator is available by visiting: http://communicator.pulver.com/download.

I took the liberty of setting the default RSS reader feeds to some of the blogs I read on a regular basis. Please feel free to personalize this list.

During the past couple of weeks I have been experimenting with the video support and to date I’ve been real happy with the results. If you would like to setup a schedule to experiment with video with members of the pulver.Communicator team, please feel free to email: Juan Vides.

Posted by jeff at 08:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Press from the Vonage Ruling

The FCC's ruling on Vonage yesterday was covered around the world. I enjoyed watching the coverage yesterday afternoon on CNBC.

The Associated Press picked up the story and it ran in many of their worldwide outlets.

Some of the stories on the ruling include:

  • Washington Post: FCC Asserts Role as Internet Phone Regulator

  • Converge Network Digest: FCC Rules Vonage is Not Subject to State Jurisdiction

  • PC World: FCC Takes VoIP Regulation Out of State's Hands

  • Bloomberg: U.S. FCC Frees Internet Phone Calls From State Rules

  • Wired: Vonage Dodges State Regulations

  • Australian IT: US makes VoIP rules federal

  • Globe and Mail: U.S. to control VoIP

  • New York Times: F.C.C. Rules on Internet-Based Phone Services

    Posted by jeff at 01:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

    November 09, 2004

    My possible future in DC: Kind words from Andy Abramson

    I just read Andy's story So You Have Too Much In Your Market? Pulver Could Hold The Answer.

    In 2005 I also expect Telecom to continue to be a major issue.

    If the President and/or others would like my help, I'd be happy to contribute.

    Someone just has to ask. :-)

    Posted by jeff at 06:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

    Scope of FCC Preemption of State Roles and Assertion of Federal Jurisdiction over VoIP Even Greater Than Anticipated!

    It appears that the Vonage Preemption Order turned out to be even broader and more encompassing than I had first thought when I posted to my blog earlier today. The FCC said today that its decision applies to "Vonage-type" services. The VoIP service at issue is Vonage's "Digital Voice" product, which it describes as: (1) accessible only through a broadband connection; (2) nomadic and non-geographic in nature; (3) requiring the purchase of special equipment; and (4) performing a net protocol conversion for customers to communicate with the PSTN. This definition, itself, is rather broad and fits others flavors of VoIP, well beyond Vonage. The FCC press release and staff responding to press inquiries, in fact, have indicated that the relief from state regulation would apply more broadly to other flavors of VoIP, including cable offerings. I am hard-pressed to find a flavor of VoIP that is not insulated from state regulation by either the pulver Order or the Vonage-preemption Order.

    It also appears that the FCC has assumed jurisdiction over the host of social issues as well, essentially precluding states from asserting independent jurisdiction over social issues such as emergency response systems. The FCC made clear that it believed there would be an essential state role in cooperating with the FCC to ensure the social good, but that the FCC would be ultimately responsible for establishing the rules. Now we must work with the FCC to ensure that the rules it might establish to govern the economics and social obligations of VoIP do not thwart deployment of IP-based communications services. It appears that we have won the first procedural hurdle, but much of the substantive rules are still at the drawing board. Furthermore, the FCC has not yet concluded whether flavors of VoIP (other than Free World Dialup) are "telecom services" or "information services". This next legal conclusion will largely determine the scope of regulatory oversight over most flavors of VoIP."

    It was interesting to note that there were no dissents among the five FCC Commissioners -- Commissioners Copps and Adelstein expressed some concern about the piece-meal approach the FCC has been taking with regard to VoIP (sanctioning individual applications like FWD and now Vonage), but ultimately concurred in the decision. Perhaps there is some merit to establishing an immediate comprehensive framework governing VoIP, but Chairman Powell eloquently noted that this is a perfect example of not allowing "the perfect to be the enemy of the good." Sure the FCC could have waited (and waited and waited) to adopt a comprehensive order addressing all of the economic and social issues confronting VoIP, but preempting the states from developing a hodge-podge of conflicting rules was an essential first step in giving us our marching orders to deploy innovative VoIP services and applications with the certainty that states will not be able to nickel and dime us or otherwise administer us out of business.

    Posted by jeff at 03:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

    Vonage Order Was Next Logical Step in FCC's Approach to VoIP

    I am very encouraged by today's FCC acknowledgement that "Nomadic VoIP Service" not subject to state economic regulation.

    This is yet another historic day in the history of VoIP in the USA.

    In the world's first regulatory statement freeing VoIP communications from
    legacy telecom regulation, the FCC ruled last February that pulver.com's
    computer-to-computer Free World Dialup service was an unregulated information
    service. The pulver Order was a great first step to ensure that pure
    peer-to-peer VoIP services are not subjected to legacy regulations. The Vonage
    Order is the next logical step to ensure that VoIP services that look like more
    traditional telecom services are not subjected to a cumbersome, patchwork of
    state regulations.

    I am encouraged by the FCC's decision preempting states from imposing
    economic regulations on nomadic VoIP services. Today's decision was essential
    to allow the IP-based communications industry to develop and flourish free from
    traditional telecommunications regulation and to ensure that a hodge-podge of
    archaic telecom regulations do not stifle the nascent IP-based communications
    industry.

    Every sector of the high tech and communications industries, including capital
    markets, has been watching to see how rules are set for this potentially
    explosive technology, one that holds tremendous promise not only for communications innovation, but also for the global economy.

    Certainly, the Commission should not subject IP-based communications to a set
    of archaic regulations that were designed and kluged together over the years to
    patch together a disparate array of technologies and services. The disruptive
    emergence of IP-based communications essentially compels the Commission, the
    States and every regulatory authority around the globe to rethink the patchwork
    of disparate, illogical and irreconcilable regulations.

    The Commission must next resolve the lingering intercarrier compensation and
    universal service proceedings, particularly to ensure that IP-based
    communications providers are not dragged into existing regulatory schemes that
    so desperately need to be reformed. The conclusions and rules that will result
    from these proceedings will greatly affect the future of all IP-based
    communications, including the speed of deployment, consumer and enterprise
    adoption and ubiquity of IP-based communications.

    Regulators and the IP-based communications industry need to think creatively
    about how to protect consumers in a new communications environment. pulver.com and many members of the IP-based communications community are committed to
    achieving the social good through industry-based solutions that do not
    unnecessarily subject industry to regulatory and other governmental intrusion.

    To that end, in fact, pulver.com has established the Global IP Alliance, an
    international organization committed to advancing IP-based communications and
    resolving the commercial, technical, operational and social issues confronting
    the world-wide IP communications community.

    VoIP is 'disruptive communications' in the most positive sense. IP-based
    communications allow for 'open' solutions, with no barriers to entry and no
    relation to geography. IP-based communications are capable of empowering users
    to control their own communications experience. There, however, is a real
    danger in regarding VoIP simply as a cheaper way to provide voice service.
    That is NOT VoIP. It is incumbent upon all us to ensure that it does not get
    relegated to the world of black rotary phones, but truly the becomes the
    communications of the future.

    All-in another great day for the VoIP Industry in 2004!

    Posted by jeff at 10:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

    Bridgeport Networks Profiled in Chicago Sun-Times

    Chicago Sun Times: BridgePort masterminds communication convergence

    Posted by jeff at 08:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

    November 08, 2004

    Feds expected to ease Net phone rules

    CNET: Feds expected to ease Net phone rules

    Posted by jeff at 10:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

    Farrell was married last night...

    Farrell "Mustang Sally" Shaprio was married last night.

    A great time was had by all. :-)

    Congrats to Farrell and Beth!

    Posted by jeff at 10:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

    This Season's Sleeper Issue that Could Devastate Unaffiliated VoIP ASPs

    There appears to be a new sleeper issue emerging at the FCC. The Commission just put out a Public Notice on November 3, seeking comment on a Petition filed by BellSouth that might cause serious problems for the ability of unaffiliated ISPs and VoIP Application Service Providers (without their own underlying telecom transmission facilities) to continue to be viable providers of VoIP services. (see http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-04-3507A1.doc for FCC Public Notice). In its Oct. 27 Petition, BellSouth seeks forbearance from Title II common carriage requirements that apply to incumbent LEC broadband transmission. Further, BellSouth seeks forbearance from the Computer Inquiry rules to the extent they require incumbent LECs to tariff and offer the transport component of their broadband services on a stand-alone basis and to take service under those same terms and conditions. BellSouth argues that these rules are unnecessary, because the market for broadband transmission is competitive, and impose costs that inhibit innovation and deployment of broadband. In addition, BellSouth argues that these rules are not imposed on other providers of broadband transmission.
    (See http://gullfoss2.fcc.gov/prod/ecfs/retrieve.cgi?native_or_pdf=pdf&id_document=6516791568 for BellSouth's Forbearance Petition. The Common Carrier and Computer II obligations currently require the BOCs to tariff the underlying telecom service component of any information service they offer. Without required access to the broadband transmission services, unaffiliated VoIP providers, especially those without significant purchasing power, could be left with little to no access to BOC networks -- especially as CLEC access becomes more restricted. Conceivably, nothing (except perhaps antitrust laws which, themselves, have been curtailed in recent years) would keep the Bell Company from offering interconnection or access services to any entity other than its unregulated VoIP affiliate.

    In my mind, this might undermine the recent strong movement towards empowering consumers to control their own communications experience. If unaffiliated VoIP providers are left to the whims of the last-mile access provider or controller of the underlying telecom transmission facilities, end-user will not be able to fully avail themselves of the capabilities, powers and promise of IP-based communications.

    We haven't figured out all the angles of the BellSouth Petition, but, again, this could be seriously problematic for unaffiliated VoIP ASPs, Internet enthusiasts and would be users of IP-based communications products and services. I think it might be important for the VoIP ASPs and ISPs to band together and make a serious challenge to such an anticompetitive and anti-consumer proposal.

    Posted by jeff at 07:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

    November 07, 2004

    Verisign on VoIP

    Those who attended Fall 2004 VON know that Verisign has discovered VoIP.

    Tom Kershaw's recent Business Week interview helps to share the Verisign VoIP story.

    Posted by jeff at 10:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

    Farrell's Wedding Day!

    Later today, Farrell "Mustang Sally" Shapiro will be getting married.

    Anyone who has attended our VON parties over the years has seen (and heard) Farrell perform Mustang Sally with many of the artists who have played our parties including: John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band, Third Eye Blind, Smashmouth, The Commitments, Stroke 9, Train, Nine Days, The Calling, The Herding Cats and Liz Phair.

    Farrell - this is your day! Congrats!

    Go J-E-T-S! JETS JETS JETS!

    Posted by jeff at 07:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

    November 06, 2004

    10x10 - Interesting News Site

    While listening to the BloggerCon III feed, I just heard about 10x10.

    This looks to be an interesting news website.

    Posted by jeff at 01:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

    Listening to BloggerCon...

    While I wasn't able to be at Adam Curry's podcasting session at BloggerCon III, I have enjoyed listening to it real-time thanks to the webcast.

    Posted by jeff at 12:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

    pulverRadio - Live Beta!

    pulverRadio is back!

    Almost!

    The website will be formally launched the week of November 8th.

    In the meanwhile, you can get a preview by tuning in today and listening to our steams and music programming.

    pulverRadio is back!

    Posted by jeff at 08:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

    Wired News on the advent of Podcasting

    Wired News Podcasts: New Twist on Net Audio

    Posted by jeff at 08:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

    BloggerCon - A Great Place to Be

    500 of some of the most well known bloggers in the world are attending Dave Winer's BloggerCon 3 today at the Stanford Law School.

    These days I'm very interested in Podcasting and wanted to hear more about it at Bloggercon.

    Having made the trek up the coast during this week from LA up to Santa Clara, it would have been real easy for me to spend an extra couple of days in Silicon Valley and attend BloggerCon...except this happens to also be the weekend of my brother-in-law's wedding, so being anywhere but on Long Island would not have worked.

    I will look to attend their next East Coast event.

    Posted by jeff at 08:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

    Washington Post Story on the Future of Radio

    Washington Post: The Dawn Of HD Radio.

    Posted by jeff at 08:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

    November 05, 2004

    Spring 2005 VON Exhibit Floor: Almost Sold Out!

    While Spring 2005 VON is still over four months away, the exhibit floor is just about sold out!

    Over 90% of the available booth space has already been sold and it looks like the show floor will be sold out before Thanksgiving.

    Posted by jeff at 04:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

    Stanford Business School's VoIP Case Study

    During Spring 2004 VON in Santa Clara I first met Les Valdez. During our Spring VON meeting, Les mentioned to me that he taught a graduate class at Stanford and he shared with me some of his own personal passion for VoIP.

    During the summer I visited Stanford and met with both Les and two other professors who were working together on publishing the first Stanford Business School case study on VoIP.

    On Tuesday, November 23rd, the Stanford Graduate School of Business case study on VoIP will be published and presented in class at 8.00am PST.

    Especially since I was one of the subjects included in this case study, I look forward to being at Stanford, in the classroom to answer questions when the case study is presented to the grad students 18 days from now.

    I was also invited to make a presentation on campus in the afternoon of the 23rd which I also am looking forward to

    Just another sign how mainstream VoIP has become in 2004.

    Posted by jeff at 08:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

    Reuters Story on Web Calling

    Reuters: Web calls may be more popular than thought.

    Who would have known? :-)

    Posted by jeff at 07:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

    Back Home...

    Just arrived home after spending the better part of the past five plus days on the West Coast.

    Special thanks to the members of the pulver.com team who provided their support at ISPCON this week. Special thanks also to those who contributed to my keynote talk at ISPCON today - most especially Carl for the content and to Kory for the tweaking. :-)

    After five days on the road, it's great to be home.

    Posted by jeff at 01:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

    November 04, 2004

    At Gate 9 in Oakland

    Once again I find myself sitting opposite gate 9 in Oakland waiting for jetBlue flight 82 for my return flight to JFK.

    It has been a great few days on the West Coast and I am looking forward to returning in a couple of weeks when Stanford University will be publishing their first VoIP Case Study which I'm a part of. :-)

    Posted by jeff at 05:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

    My talk from Fall 2004 ISPCON...

    is now available for download.

    Posted by jeff at 05:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

    ISPCON Keynote: VoIP Opportunities for ISPs

    In a few hours I will be giving one of the keynote talks at Fall 2004 ISPCON.

    During the talk, I will be taking a look at the state of VoIP, the state of the "Mobile Internet" and looking at the intersection of both as a place where some ISPs may be able to derive incremental revenue in 2005 and beyond.

    Posted by jeff at 09:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

    Do many people use Video Instant Messaging today?

    I was wondering if there are many people today who actually use "video instant messaging." The technology is in place and has been available for quite some time. What I don't know is whether or not people are actually using it and if not, then what is needed to get more people to give it a try.

    I appreciate that video instant messaging is a killer app as a broadband communications tool for families engaged in long distance communication between loved ones.

    But I also remember back when I used to spend some time on video conferences when I worked at Cantor Fitzgerald. Back then, once the ISDN video call started and we all established eye contact, what mattered most was the quality of the audio on the call and not much more. Sharing video was cool but in the end not the critical part of the conversation.

    Does anyone have any insight on how significant will the use of video instant messaging be over the next 12-18 months and beyond?

    Posted by jeff at 02:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

    No Wi-Fi, No Broadband, No Jeff!

    My new position on staying at hotels/motels that don't offer either Wi-Fi or Broadband internet access.

    Just say no!

    Posted by jeff at 01:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

    2004: When "Talking" no longer means "To Talk."

    In the pulver.com office when I ask someone if they "talked" recently with someone, the line is blurred whether the person actually had a "voice communication" or just IM text chat and/or SMS conversation.

    To their defense, people don't know what I mean when I asked if they "talked" with someone either.

    It seems in 2004 with the advent of IP Communications, "Talking" has taken on an entire new meaning.

    Posted by jeff at 01:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

    Mets hire Randolph as manager!

    Willie Randolph is the new Mets Manager. Hopefully Willie will help lead the way for the Mets winning in their 2005 Season and beyond.

    One can only hope...

    Posted by jeff at 01:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

    November 03, 2004

    Fall 2004 VON Photos Posted

    Photos from Fall 2004 VON have been posted to the Spring 2005 VON website.

    Posted by jeff at 11:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

    Next Stop...Santa Clara

    Later this morning I will be leaving the friendly confines of Carmel-by-the-Sea and make the trek up to Santa Clara in time for the opening of the Fall 2004 ISPCON exhibit floor.

    Along the way I expect to continue to update my keynote presentation that I will be giving tomorrow at 10am at ISPCON.

    Posted by jeff at 09:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

    FWD Communications @ ISPCON!

    Members of the Free World Dialup team will be in Santa Clara later today and tomorrow for Fall 2004 ISPCON.

    They will be on the exhibit floor from 3-6 pm tonight and will be around most of Thursday.

    I'm scheduled to arrive in Santa Clara by mid-day on Wednesday and will be giving a keynote talk at ISPCON on Thursday morning.

    If you are attending ISPCON, please drop by the FWD Communications booth and say hello!

    Posted by jeff at 02:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

    November 02, 2004

    Working on Spring 2005 VON Artist(s)...

    For our Spring 2005 VON "All Conference" Party, taking place on March 9, 2005, I wanted to produce an evening of "Rock and Soul."

    To wit we currently have offers out to both Jet and Joss Stone.

    I hope to have an update over the next few weeks.

    Posted by jeff at 11:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

    FCC Puts Vonage Petition on Agenda for Nov 9th!

    As expected, the FCC has put the Vonage petition on the agenda for its open meeting next week.

    :-)

    Posted by jeff at 07:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

    The Madonna Inn: Back to the Stone Age!

    After leaving LA and driving 200 miles last night, San Louis Obispo seemed like a logical stopping point on our way to Carmel today.

    The Madonna Inn is like no other place I've been to before. Each room in this "family" motel has a different motif. After spending the night in their "Jungle Room" and a "Rock Shower" all I can way was that it was a nice place to visit but I feel no need to come back anytime soon.

    For someone who lives the broadband lifestyle, there is no broadband internet access or Wi-Fi access (yet) at the Madonna Inn. The lack of connectivity was frustrating but it did help me catch up on my sleep. ;-).

    After spending the past year getting broadband access at just about all hotels and motels around the US and around the world, I was in no mood to settle for dialup.

    Posted by jeff at 05:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

    November 01, 2004

    Leaving LA...On my way to Santa Clara

    In a few minutes I will be leaving the City of Angels (LA) and will start to my trek driving up the West Coast of California.

    Next stop...San Luis Obispo.

    Posted by jeff at 07:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

    Jeff's Going to the World Series of Poker in 2005!

    It was a difficult decision but I decided to allocate the time to enter the 2005 World Series of Poker next June/July in Las Vegas.

    If nothing else it should be an interesting experience to blog. I wonder if the rules allow for wi-fi near the poker tables.

    To be continued....

    Posted by jeff at 08:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)