I hope the FCC is watching what is going on.


Even though I am a believer in a capitalistic, competitive and non-government run market, I recognize telecommunications for what it is.  Telecommunications (I include the Internet as a telecom service) is an infrastructure service/business.  Hence, it needs to have some form of government oversight in order to establish a minimum criterion for performance.  It does not matter if the communication is over the Internet or over a tablet.  The bottom line; the communication service is part of the infrastructure of the country.


As for the role of the FCC if voice is divorced from the network.  That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard.  Literally speaking the voice service is not being divorced from the network.  It is being divorced from a small group of large carriers.  The group now involved in transporting the voice or even data service will now grow.  Bear in mind, no telecom or infocom service on this planet is ever carried on a single network.  At some point every transaction (voice and non-voice) touches at least 2 networks.  The mere fact a private homeowner will now be able to say they have their own private network (think Wi-Fi as the simplest example) means nothing.  The minute the user decides to call someone outside their network, they will be interacting with at least 1 other network.  Minimum performance criterion is essential to ensure quality.


So these new players will not and should not expect the FCC to ignore them.


Yep, I know my comments are heresy to investment bankers and stock brokers; TOUGH.


The reality is communications is an essential part of everyday life and is an essential part of national, state, and local security.  Unless, the FCC takes an interest in what is going on, the industry will decide what is acceptable and I can guarantee that the only criteria used will be “profit margin”.  Just to let you know, “high quality of service” does not necessarily translate into outrageously high profit margins.  Oh you will make money, just not as much as you would like.


The most immediate challenge for Google is trying to get Google Voice to gain market traction, while it is promoting its vision of video and audio content.  In general, Google is trying to make huge leaps in the telecom/infocom space in a matter of a few years.  This is going to be a tough go for Google.


I am not saying either Cisco or Microsoft is going to win the battle.  I think Cisco and Microsoft understand their places in the business and are finally getting behind unified communications.  Bear in mind, unified communications, as a concept, is about 20 years old.  As far as I know, the only companies supporting this concept (way back then) were the telephone companies (and their cellular carriers).  A question to bear in mind is whether or not Cisco or Microsoft will be able to manage their existing lines of business while transitioning into a new content management model.  Google is going to have a tough-go because it has to accomplish so much in a short time frame.  Of course, I am not even sure Google has a vision of telecom/infocom that I even agree with.


Getting back to the original question regarding the FCC.  The FCC will have to understand what is taking place in these very different companies.  In order to do this, the FCC will have to have its own understanding and vision for unified communications.  You cannot be a judge of someone else’s actions unless you have an opinion on the subject or at least opinions on related subjects.

	PJLouis
	1/1/2010