The Telecommunications Industry Association has delivered a letter to the members of the Senate Commerce Committee urging their support of the VoIP Regulatory Freedom Act of 2004.
The act is scheduled for committee mark-up today.
The proposed legislation would provide a regulatory framework for Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) applications that encourage investment and innovation by providing for limited, federal jurisdiction over such services.
"The TIA firmly believes that now is the time for the committee to move this legislation," says TIA President Matthew Flanigan. "Uncertainty over the regulatory treatment of VoIP continues to escalate as many states attempt to impose, or consider imposing, traditional telephone regulations - designed for monopoly telephone service providers - on highly competitive VoIP providers."
Flanigan says the act would clarify the jurisdictional issue by recognizing that the nature of IP communications mandates a single, uniform regulatory structure for the U.S. market.
The TIA is based in Arlington, VA. For more information visit www.tiaonline.org.
