Principles for a Successful IP Transition: Openness

If our broadband networks are going to replace our analog voice networks, then they must be able to support robust voice and video competition -- even if those services compete directly with services offered by the incumbent broadband network provider. The story behind open telephone networks goes back more than 45 years, to a Texan named Thomas Carter who invented a device that extended the reach of a telephone into the oil fields so supervisors could stay in touch. Since the Federal Communications Commission’s 1968 ruling in the case known as Carterphone, consumers have been allowed to connect any legal device to the network and new technologies have flourished. Such a policy is just as essential in the age of Internet Protocol (IP) as well. Some stakeholders, however, are concerned about the future of voice and video competition with incumbents when these companies own and control both the networks and the services that run over them. They suggest the policy could be in jeopardy as a shrinking number of telecommunications providers exert their control over a significant portion of the network.