FCC Ensures Americans Can Access Zoom and WebEx During COVID-19 Crisis

The Federal Communications Commission issued a temporary waiver of its access arbitrage rules to Inteliquent, a telecommunications company that carries traffic for two of the nation’s largest conference calling providers, Zoom Video Communications and Cisco WebEx. Absent this waiver, the massive increase in conference calls made by American consumers using Zoom and WebEx to work and attend classes from home during the COVID-19 pandemic would likely result in Inteliquent being deemed an “access-stimulating” carrier under the FCC’s rules. This, in turn, would trigger financial responsibilities—namely significant cost increases—for Inteliquent that would impede its ability to serve these conference calling companies. The temporary waiver, which is based on circumstances specific to Inteliquent and detailed in the order, will expire on June 1, 2020, and Inteliquent may seek renewal of the waiver if necessary.