Now, It's Time To Act
How many of you know that the Federal Communications Commission plans to rule Nov. 9 on whether Internet telephony should be considered an interstate business information service—and thus be exempt from state or local melding and possible tariffs? VoIP service providers, including Vonage from my home state of New Jersey, want the FCC to take a hands-off approach. Vonage petitioned for a FCC ruling after Minnesota ordered the company in August 2003 to become certified as a telephone carrier. That dispute heats up later this month, and states including New York are considering their own legislation.
VoIP isn't the only technology issue that's been the subject of legislative angst. In January, our first major anti-spam legislation kicked in—although a quick scan of your inbox will tell you just how effective that's been. I'm still getting creamed. Are you?
Elsewhere, over the summer, with a minimum of fanfare, the California state legislature debated an anti-spyware bill that calls for a $1,000 fine for companies or individuals that install malware or spyware on computers located in the state without permission. A group of managed service providers fought certain provisions of the bill early on because they were worried it might limit their ability to manage their customers' systems remotely. By the time the bill passed in late August, they had managed to preserve that right while curtailing the practice of installing spyware—but it took a lot of lobbying on their part.
I could list other areas where solution providers should take an active interest in what's going on politically—from legislation that would affect offshore outsourcing to privacy laws to government programs for retraining IT personnel. The point is, the channel must take a more active approach to the political process at both a local and federal level. For too long, the channel has reacted rather than shaped. It's time for a change.
How active are you? HEATHER CLANCY, Editor at CRN, appreciates your comments at [email protected].