Companies offering internet-based phone services in the US have been given just 120 days to ensure that their lines provide access to the emergency services, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ruled last week.
There are going to be a lot of problems with this mandate, and it’s likely to stifle the development and deployment of VoIP technology. A cynic might think that that’s what the incumbent telcos want – a few more years of being able to charge inflated fees for telephone services before voice becomes just another service delivered over broadband and metered by the megabyte.
Meanwhile, other countries will continue to pull ahead of the US in this area.