Is Net Neutrality bad for 9-1-1?
This was in the Regulatory Mix dated 1/15/18 as published by www.tminc.com.
"Minnesota - Charter Bolsters Case Against VoIP Regulation at U.S. Court of Appeals
Charter told the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit that the FCC’s recent Internet Freedom order further strengthens their argument that VoIP should be classified as an information service and that the states are expressly preempted from regulating broadband internet services. Now, Charter is arguing, based on the Internet Freedom Order, that information services can include a “transmission component” and that this “does not render broadband Internet access services telecommunications services; if it did, the entire category of information services would be narrowed drastically.” This case is pending a final decision by the 8th Circuit.
Originally, the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission ordered Charter to comply with all Minnesota laws and rules that apply to a telephone service. Charter successfully appealed the PUC's order in district court, and the PUC is now seeking to overturn the court's ruling. The PUC continues to maintain that it was within the telecommunications systems management exemption of “information services” under the Telecommunications Act and that enables them to oversee the VoIP service. TMI Briefing Service subscribers see Briefing dated 5/12/17."
If Charter is successful, then this could end up being another attack on 9-1-1 funding. It is the States and Municipality that impose 9-1-1 surcharge on local dial tone users, including VoIP. It seems like there could be a contradiction between the Internet Freedom Order and the previous Act on 9-1-1 that covered VoIP. I wonder if anyone else noticed?