VoIP Leaders Hail Court Decision to Empower Consumers by Enabling VoIP Innovations to Flourish

WASHINGTON, March 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the 8th Circuit upheld the FCC's Vonage Order preempting state regulation of VoIP. The following statement can be attributed to Staci Pies, VON Coalition President:

"In the Vonage Federal Jurisdiction decision, the Court recognized that the FCC properly embraced the future of VoIP by ensuring it will be free from multiple and inevitably conflicting state jurisdictions. The VON Coalition praises today's Court decision confirming that a system that allows for state regulation of VoIP could conflict with Federal policy objectives and the open, global nature of the Internet. This decision holds open the promise that VoIP can play a critical role in boosting broadband demand and putting new tools in the hands of American consumers and small businesses to enhance productivity, manage daily affairs, and enjoy leisure pursuits. The Court's decision is a critical step towards unleashing the full economic benefits of VoIP competition, with the potential to save American consumers upwards of $100 billion over the next 5 years."

About the VON Coalition:

The Voice on the Net or VON Coalition consists of leading VoIP companies, on the cutting edge of developing and delivering voice innovations over Internet. The coalition, which includes AccessLine, AT&T, BMX, BT Americas, CallSmart, Cisco, Convedia, Covad, EarthLink, Google, iBasis, i3 Voice and Data, Intel, Intrado, Microsoft, New Global Telecom, Openwave, Pandora Networks, PointOne, Pulver.com, Skype, Switch Business Solutions, T-Mobile USA, United Online, USA Datanet, VocalData, Veraz Networks, and Yahoo! works to advance regulatory policies that enable Americans to take advantage of the full promise and potential of VoIP. The Coalition believes that with the right public policies, Internet based voice advances can make talking more affordable, businesses more productive, jobs more plentiful, the Internet more valuable, and Americans more safe and secure. Since its inception, the VON Coalition has promoted pragmatic policy choices for unleashing VoIP's potential. http://www.von.org/

   Contacts:
   Jim Kohlenberger (703) 237-2357, jkohlenberger@cox.net
   Jonathan Askin, 631-748-8236, jaskin@pulver.com