The current FCC rules per November's CAF order allow ILECs to be subsidized to provide "broadband" unless there is an "unsubsidized competitor" who provides both voice and data service. Jack Unger has written an excellent petition to the FCC to change that to allow it to be "unsubsidized competition", wherein the data provider needn't be the voice provider. But there's no guarantee that the FCC (currently down to three seated Commissioners) will take such action.
A WISP can provide the needed voice service via VoIP. It need not be a certificated CLEC. However, to get the VoIP service and local numbers, it still needs a CLEC with a connection to (at minimum) the tandem switch serving its area. In some rural areas, this might not be available. So the WISP might need to create a CLEC, or at least get one to serve its area. While the traditional approach to starting a CLEC requires a "switch", that rather costly item, which a lot of ISPs don't want to have to manage, can be finessed by using a remote gateway. At least one CLEC I'm working with offers a remote "rent a call agent" service, where there Class 4/5 call agent, which is equipped with Signaling System 7 (a big expense), can serve gateways anywhere, passing signaling (H.248) across the Internet or, ideally, a VPN. So the rural CLEC just has a media gateway and SBC, and orders trunks into the local central office. The VoIP side of the gateway then feeds the subscribers. I'm trying to assess whether it's worth anyone's pursuing to set this up as an offering for WISPs. Does anyone see a market for this type of service? Would it help anyone meet the "unsubsidized competitor" requirement? Thanks... -- Fred Goldstein k1io fgoldstein "at" ionary.com ionary Consulting http://www.ionary.com/ +1 617 795 2701 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WISPA Wants You! Join today! http://signup.wispa.org/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WISPA Wireless List: [email protected] Subscribe/Unsubscribe: http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/
