Why does history have to repeat itself? It took years to get Number Portability for cell phones. Why isn’t there an effort yet to do the same for VoIP? There’s some discussion here on the topic. Do we really need to get to the point of an epidemic with people locked in to their current provider? Can we be pre-emptive about this? Some things just never change. VoIP numbers should be portable. It should carry on that internet tradition. I have a domain name, but I can take it to any web host I want. If one starts to stink, I can move it away without problems.
I’m pretty sure this will become a big issue at some point. I just wish someone at the FCC would take it on now rather than wait.
4 replies on “VoIP Number Portability”
You might want to read this post on the Dreamhost blog. They talk about VoIP portability there.
Link stripped :/
http://blog.dreamhost.com/2005.....istresses/
I’m not sure that it’s a good idea for the FCC to get involved with internet traffic and protocols. Not good for the internet, anyway.
And I’m not sure what some local north-american country’s regulators have to do with the rest of the world’s internet usage.
It doesn’t have anything to do with the “internet”. US phone numbers are FCC juristiction. It doesn’t matter if they are hooked up to the internet or not. Just like “dialers” (viruses that hijack modems and make expensive phone calls) are illegal because they fall under FCC juristiction. It doesn’t matter where they are made or hosted. If a US phone is involved, it’s within their grasp.
The FCC should regulate the phone system. The data on the network doesn’t matter. It’s the numbers.