TELECOM Digest OnLine - Sorted: Re: Vonage Complaining of VOIP Blocking

Re: Vonage Complaining of VOIP Blocking

Marcus Didius Falco (falco_marcus_didius@yahoo.co.uk)
Tue, 15 Feb 2005 23:49:55 -0500

Tony P. <kd1s@nospamplease.cox.reallynospam.net> responded to
Paul Timmins about Re: Vonage Complaining Of VoIP 'Blocking'

> In article <telecom24.68.9@telecom-digest.org>, paul@timmins.net says:

>> On Mon, 2005-02-14 at 17:07 -0500, Mike O'Connor wrote:

>> That's what gets me. Last I remember, to qualify as a common carrier, an
>> ISP isn't allowed to exact any sort of traffic control beyond what is
>> necessary to maintain the stability of the network. Anything more and it
>> could be seen as having the ability to control its content, and would be
>> vicariously liable for crimes committed over its infrastructure and
>> services.

>> Isn't that still the case?

> Yep, and by those rules Cox shouldn't be considered a common carrier
> any longer. They actually teach parents how to implement filters on
> web sites, etc. via Cox provided servers.

> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I can tell you that Southwestern Bell
> has always claimed 'common carrier status' on their DSL service as
> a way to avoid any/all spam filtering on user's mailboxes. They won't
> even sort perceived spam into a separate spam box as CableOne does.
> It just all goes into your mailbox -- all several hundred pieces of
> it daily. How you want to sort it is your business. Just call this
> one of my several minor complaints with SBC, which is why I dumped
> them out of my house totally. PAT]

Recall that all or almost all telephone companies permit you to block
certain calls based on caller ID or the lack thereof. The carrier
cannot initiate any control over the content, but they can certainly
aid the customer in controlling the content of messages or classes of
message.

In other words, if Fox provides customer with filters, and provides
them with instruction, that's fine, provided the customer must opt-in
to using the filter. It would have no effect on Fox's status as a
common carrier.

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