Almost as if to prove the dependency that new entrants still have on ILECs for certain bottleneck services, a flare-up arose in architectural design for a solution for E-911. The four major cable carriers, Cogeco, Videotron, Rogers and Shaw, called for an immediate stop to activities at the ESWG. In a letter filed with the Commission, the Cable Companies are reported to have expressed “deep concern with the direction being taken within the ESWG” and labelled the process as “abusive”.
There seem to be three or four irreconcilable positions: ILECs; Cablecos; Quebec ISPs and CAVP. It is unclear that the CRTC will be willing nor able to choose an approach – certainly not in a timely fashion.
As a result, access independent VoIP customers may be the losers, having to wait for an industry-wide solution. At the same time, we may be seeing whether VoIP customers really rely on 911.