On March 19, 2010, Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) rules extending service discontinuance obligations to interconnected VoIP providers formally took effect. The rules were announced in an order released by the FCC last May, and took effect in March after receiving approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in December. The FCC justified the new rules as necessary for consumer protection, stating a desire to “protect customers from an abrupt discontinuance, reduction, or impairment of [VoIP] service”. As of the effective date of the new rules, interconnected VoIP providers wishing to discontinue service must comply with the same procedures as legacy telecommunications providers. These requirements include providing advance written notice to affected customers, applying for authority to discontinue with the FCC, and waiting for a 30-day comment period to pass before discontinuing service. The implementation of these new discontinuance requirements marks another step towards increased regulation of interconnected VoIP providers. In the future, VoIP providers must consider these exit requirements before discontinuing service.
More:
FCC Extends Section 214 Discontinuance Rules to VoIP