Verizon has reached an agreement with four new service providers for IP VoIP program, though it has to overcome numerous regulatory challenges. The company has made agreements for IP VoIP interconnections with Comcast, Vonage as well as six other providers.
Despite making progress on the deals, Verizon in a filing made to the FCC said that it is hoping to create an environment where service providers can deploy the services rapidly. The company holds that the commission should lead the IP transition on a natural and market driven migration of the clients to the packet-switched VoIP service from the circuit-switched TDM.
Verizon has formulated its own agreement for IP interconnections that is hoped to provide a national structured agreement for service providers who are in need of exchanging VoIP traffic. However, the company notes that the recent regulatory decisions in Massachusetts and Michigan may interfere with the IP transition.
The company notes that the backward looking regulations may disrupt the immense progress that has been made and is continuously being made in the industry through commercial agreements and negotiations.
However, not everyone agrees with Verizon on the matter. The chief advocate of COMPTEL, Angie Kronenberg noted that states do not have to wait for IP interconnection issues to follow actions taken by the FCC. Kronenberg noted that states should be allowed to use their authority to address issues to do with interconnections in cases where the parties do not reach into an agreement.
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