I mentioned last week that I would examine the VoIP Order in Council in a little more detail. You can access the full text on the Privy Council website.
When I look at the details of the Order, it makes me wonder how the folks from Industry Canada were able to present the proposal to the other members of Cabinet. Considering how poorly understood the Order was initially, as evidenced by the coverage in the press and my blogging colleagues, I have to congratulate the folks who explained the details of the Order to a diverse group of public officials with no telecom background.
This ties to the the challenge of how do we raise the profile of telecom policy issues for the general public.
How do you talk ‘access-independent VoIP’ to politicians who have no other exposure to telecom technology and policy? Look at the major elements in the preamble:
Whereas the Governor in Council considers that retail local access-dependent and access‑independent VoIP services are quite different from each other;
Whereas retail local access-dependent VoIP services are services for which access and service are both provided by the same provider, and can be provided by changing the underlying technology of the local access network from circuit-switched to packet-switched;
Whereas for retail local access-independent VoIP services – in which access and service may be provided by distinct providers – the service provider is not required to provide the underlying network on which the service rides and is not required to obtain the permission of the network provider to offer the service to customers on that network;
Whereas the Governor in Council considers that retail local access-dependent VoIP services are typically indistinguishable from traditional local telephone services, while retail local access‑independent VoIP services are very different, as they require high-speed Internet access as well as special handsets, adapters or the use of a computer, and may be more susceptible to service deterioration or disruption;
Interesting to see this level of sophistication in the Order. Will the Government maintain its interest in telecom policy enough to move forward on the report of the Telecom Policy Review panel? How much can be expected from a minority government?
Can all the parties – political and telecom stakeholders alike – develop a consensus under a minority government framework to create an ever better implementation?
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CRTC, Cabinet, VoIP, TPR, Mark Goldberg