Hi Everyone. I'm Jeff Pulver and I've been around the world of Video on the Net for quite some time, having first experimented with CuSeeMe back in 1994/95 before getting involved with the world of VoIP first as a hobby and obsession before losing my day job and making pulver.com my full-time job in mid 1996.
Today there is an eerie parallel that I see happening in the video space that affected the world of VoIP back in 1996. Back in 1996 the VoIP hype coming from the analyst and press community was so strong that a large trade association filed a petition at the FCC known as the "ACTA Petition" that asked for the sale and use of Internet Telephony software to be banned in the US and the makers of the software to be regulated like a phone company." This lead me to working with friends in a grass roots effort which eventually lead to getting 110 companies to form in March, 1996 something known as the "Voice on the Net (VON) Coalition", an organization that is still around today and deals with public policy issues surrounding VoIP and works with Gov't on technology education. (www.von.org). The reason I mention this here on this list is that sometime in the next year or so, with all of the new found attention this space is getting and will continue to get, I fully expect some lobbyists to whisper to someone of political influence in the US or elsewhere to come forward once again and try to declare that there is very little difference between the experience a consumer has with "TV on the Net" as compared to TV delivered by Broadcast, Cable or Satellite and that people who deliver TV over the Net should be subjected to some of the legacy rules that everyone else who is in the broadcasting industry needs to deal with. Chances are that such persons who start this fire will be paid lobbyists who are trying to take a preemptive strike against the future evolution of this emerging industry sector. For what it's worth, I just wanted to let you know that this is a battle that when it happens while I am prepared to fight, it is one which will needs everyone's help to win. And we will need to win this battle since losing is not an option. Best Regards, Jeff
