Would you mind sharing some of the telecommunications focused law firms? I am about to start a company that is going back into the CLEC/ISP/VoIP Business and I am going to have to establish relationships with a few law firms.
-----Original Message----- From: NANOG [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Eric Flanery (eric) Sent: Tuesday, May 31, 2016 2:55 PM Cc: NANOG list <[email protected]> Subject: Re: ISP License in the USA? There is no such thing as an 'ISP license' in the US. I have a hard time imagining Texas of all places would have such a requirement. Depending on what exactly you are doing, there are various and highly varied requirements, such as acquiring a SPIN number for E-Rate, filing FCC 477 if you do broadband, FCC 499 if you do VoIP (CLEC and ETC also apply there), a FRN if you do pretty much anything FCC-related, various sorts of licenses for most radio/microwave systems (excepting part 15 stuff), CALEA, open internet, etc... COALS _could_ apply _if_ you are running a cable TV system that also delivers data services, but it isn't an 'ISP thing'. More to the point... I wouldn't take US legal advice from any consultant not familiar with US law, or really any non-lawyer consultant at all. I wouldn't take it from NANOG either; while it's a tremendous technical resource, it is not your attorney. There are a number of telecommunications focused law firms out there, with knowledgeable lawyers. It would be a good idea to establish a relationship with one, if you intend to enter the increasingly complex legal minefield of being an ISP. --Eric On Tue, May 31, 2016 at 11:24 AM, Dan White <[email protected]> wrote: > Not familiar with the process, but look at E-rate if you want to > provide service to schools, libraries and health providers. > > > On 05/31/16 13:14 -0500, Lorell Hathcock wrote: > >> NANOG: >> >> Our owner has hired a consultant who insists that we should have an >> ISP license to operate in the United States. (Like they have in >> other countries like Germany and in Africa where he has extensive >> personal experience.) >> >> I am asking him to tell me which license we should have because I >> don't know of a license that we are required to have to route IP >> traffic to end customers. >> >> I am familiar with CLEC status filed with our state. But it is not a >> requirement to pass traffic. >> >> He is suggesting COALS with which I am completely unfamiliar. >> >> Can anyone tell me if there is a Texas state and/or USA Federal >> license for a small operator to pass IP traffic from the internet to >> end users (commercial and/or residential). >> >> I am aware that there are some CALEA requirements of ISPs that seem >> to kick in once a CALEA request is made, but is that different from a >> license. >> > > -- > Dan White > BTC Broadband >
