Source: snapvoip.blogspot.com

VoIP IP Telephony @ http://snapvoip.blogspot.com
According to a post on multichannel news,

The Federal Communications Commission legally ordered cable companies that provide voice-over-Internet-protocol service to contribute a portion of their revenue to subsidize rural telecommunications services, a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled Friday.

The court also upheld the FCC decision that cable VoIP providers are to assume that 64.9% of their revenue is subject to the universal-service-fund tax, which runs about 10% but can vary depending on USF revenue projections.

Source: voipcentral.org

I presume the VoIP service providers would discontent their customers very soon. The reason is such that they are now lawfully forced to meet the USF (Universal Service Fund) regulation by August 1.

As per the news, the Federal Communications Commission has fixed August 1 as the deadline for VoIP service providers to comply with the Federal USF reporting and contribution. This is for the first time the VoIP service has come under the purview of USF, the fund provides financial support to providers in rural and backward areas to ensure accessibility at reasonable rates.

With FCC ruling binding upon the VoIP service providers, the customers should get ready to bear the burden. There is very much possibility the service providers would hike the customers monthly VoIP bills to compensate the contribution they have to make to USF.

Read

Source: voipcentral.org

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) providers would be imposed with new tax next year announced, Chairman Kevin Martin on Wednesday.

At this point of time, all telephone services including wireless, pay-phone, long-distance pay a fixed percentage of their revenues to the Universal Service Fund. Universal Service Fund is a multi billion dollar pool resource, which is said to be used to subsidize telecommunications services in rural and other high-cost areas, schools and libraries. Interestingly this fund has been alleged by mismanagement and fraud during its seven-year history.

Earlier in August, FCC’s federal-state joint board on universal service fund had already suggested VoIP providers contributing to the fund. Changes to USF have been suggested as part of a broader overhaul of the 1996 Telecommunications Act. A draft of this legislation written by members of the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce committee includes provisions on broadband and VoIP services. But with the statement by Kevin Martin yesterday this policy seems to remain a top priority by FCC in next year.

VoIP companies will likely put an additional fees onto their customerss bill to pay for the USF fund.

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