Clinton Administration against Internet Phone regulation

["E. ALLEN SMITH" <EALLENSMITH@ocelot.Rutgers.EDU>]

	Of course, there's the question of whether they'd have the same opinion
on services routing stuff from the Internet to phones & vice-versa. Still, it's
nice to see them having a bit of sense.
	-Allen


>White House: No Need To Regulate Voice software

>   WASHINGTON - The Clinton administration has recommended that the
>   Federal Communications Commission not regulate firms that sell
>   software that enables voice communications by users of the Internet.
   
>   The Commerce Department letter to FCC Chairman Reed Hundt was in

[...]

>   Larry Irving, head of the department's National Telecommunications and
>   Information Administration, argued that the software companies that
>   are the object of ACTA's petition provide no communications services,
>   but merely offer goods that enable individuals to engage in voice
>   communications.
   
>   Irving said those companies "are no more providing
>   telecommunications services than are the vendors of the telephone
>   handsets, fax machines and other customer premises equipment that make
>   communications possible."
   
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