FCC Delays Its VOIP Customer Lockout Mandate for 30 Days

August 26, 2005. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released an order [4 pages in PDF] that extends for thirty days (from August 30 to September 28) the FCC mandated deadline for interconnected voice over internet protocol (VOIP) service providers to lock out certain of their customers. This order does not cover all service providers. It also imposes new reporting mandates.

The just released order, which the FCC identifies as "further guidance", further amends the order portion of the FCC's First Report and Order and Notice of Proposed Rulemaking [90 pages in PDF], numbered FCC 05-116, adopted on May 19, 2005, and released on June 3, 2005. The FCC amended its May 19 order with an order [PDF], titled "Public Notice", dated July 26, that established the August 30 deadline to shut off service to certain VOIP customers.

The July 26, order, which is numbered DA 05-2085, requires, among other things, that every interconnected VOIP service provider must send every one of its subscribers an FCC mandated statement regarding E911, and that every interconnected VOIP service provider must send to every one of its customers the FCC mandated VOIP warning stickers. This order further requires that every interconnected VOIP service provider obtain acknowledgement from every one of its subscribers, and that it "disconnect, no later than August 30, 2005, all subscribers from whom it has not received such acknowledgements".

The just released order, which is numbered DA 05-2358, provides, in part, that the FCC "will continue to refrain, for an additional 30 days -- until September 28, 2005 -- from enforcing the requirement that VoIP providers obtain affirmative acknowledgements ..."

However, the just released order also provides that this extension only applies to interconnected VOIP service providers who "filed reports on or before August 10, 2005 in accordance with the July 26" order.

The just released order also requires interconnected VOIP service providers to file with the FCC two additional reports, by September 1, 2005 and September 22, 2005.

For more information on the July 26 order, see story titled "FCC Amends E911 VOIP Order's Subscriber Notice, Reporting and Cancellation Requirements" in TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert No. 1,184, July 28, 2005.

For more information on the May 19 order, see, story titled "FCC Releases VOIP E911 Order" in TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert No. 1,148, June 6, 2005. See also, stories titled "FCC Adopts Order Expanding E911 Regulation to Include Some VOIP Service Providers", "Summary of the FCC's 911 VOIP Order", "Opponents of FCC 911 VOIP Order State that the FCC Exceeded Its Statutory Authority", and "More Reaction to the FCC's 911 VOIP Order", in TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert No. 1,139, May 20, 2005.

These orders are part of the FCC's proceedings titled "In the Matter of IP-Enabled Services" and numbered WC Docket No. 04-36, and "E911 Requirements for IP-Enabled Service Providers" and numbered WC Docket No. 05-196.