For Immediate Release March 9, 2005

Rural Caucus Holds Forum to Discuss the Future of VOIP Technology in Rural America

Washington – U.S. Representatives Gil Gutknecht (R-MN) and Bart Stupak (D-MI), Co-Chairmen of the Congressional Rural Caucus (CRC) Telecommunications Task Force, convened a forum today to discuss the impact of Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) technology in rural America. This was the third in a series of telecommunications forums held by the CRC, which consists of more than 140 bipartisan Members of Congress.

The forum consisted of two panels of witnesses. The first panel included testimony from U.S. Representatives Charles “Chip” Pickering (R-MS) and Rick Boucher (D-VA), who have introduced legislation regarding VOIP technology. The second panel was made up of Vonage CEO Jeff Citron; Bill Smith, Chief Technology Officer of BellSouth; Richard Cimerman, Senior Director of State Telecommunications Policy at NCTA; Jeffrey Young, Chief Technology Officer, IP Division, Alcatel North America; Kevin Hess, VP of Federal Affairs at TDS Telecom; and Steve Seitz, Director of Government Affairs at the National Emergency Number Association.

Below are statements from CRC Members. Panelist testimony and other information about the CRC Telecom Task Force will be available at http://www.house.gov/johnpeterson/ruralcaucus/telecomtaskforce.htm.

According to CRC Telecommunications Co-Chair Gil Gutknecht (R-MN), “I am pleased two of my colleagues who are experts in this field, Chip Pickering and Rick Boucher, were able to come before the Rural Caucus and give us their view of the telecommunications world. VOIP is an important technology and really highlights how quickly technology is moving. It is clear, in order to address new technologies and how they impact rural America, the USF needs to be reformed.”

According to CRC Co-Chairman John Peterson (R-PA), “Unfortunately in much of rural America VOIP is not an option because we still don’t have access to affordable broadband technology. I am pleased that we have such a distinguished panel of experts, and I look forward to working with them to improve the availability and affordability of telecommunications services in rural areas where we are still living in the technological dark ages.”

“As the last in a series of forums on telecom issues facing rural America, it is clear that rural concerns must be addressed when we rewrite the telecom bill,” said CRC Co-Chairman Allen Boyd (D-FL).  “With advancements and improvements in technology, it is important that we understand how our rural communities will be affected by the integration of this technology into our societies.  The expert panel offered their insight to help us do this, and I look forward to working with my colleagues in the year ahead to ensure that rural America is better served by our nation’s telecommunications laws.”

According to CRC Member Bill Shuster (R-PA), “Voice Over IP is the next step in telephone technology that will advance communications to a new level. Rural America tends to be one-step behind in the development of telecommunications but the focus of this forum is to address these concerns early. The Congressional Rural Caucus put together a well-qualified panel to answer questions rural America has on Voice Over IP and I am looking forward to it.”

According to CRC Member Cliff Stearns (R-FL), “Internet Protocol-enabled services such as Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, hold tremendous potential for American consumers, including those who live in rural areas. If we are able to classify these new services with a light regulatory touch, rural VoIP customers may get more choices and cheaper services than they have now. That is one of the goals behind my legislation, H.R. 4757, The Advanced Internet Communications Services Act.”

According to CRC Member John Shimkus (R-IL), “Recent news stories have shown us that there is a role for government action with regards to VoIp technology, especially when dealing with E9-1-1. When someone dials 9-1-1 from their phone, they don't care what technology is being used, nor if that technology is being regulated by the government. They want to know that emergency help will respond quickly.”

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