FCC lets SBC dial direct to get Net phone numbers

The nation’s top utility regulator has made it easier and cheaper for SBC Communications and other Internet phone service providers to get 10-digit phone numbers–another federal boost for the mushrooming broadband phone industry.

In essence, the Federal Communications Commission gave SBC permission to get telephone numbers directly from their official source–a privately run, quasi-government agency known as the North American Numbering Plan Administration. It’s a much cheaper alternative.

Before the FCC’s action, only those Net phone providers certified by states could approach the agency directly. The SBC division selling Net phone services argued that it wasn’t fair; the calls actually use the Internet and are therefore off-limits to any regulation. Also, requiring certification multiplies the already onerous amount of expensive state and federal telephone regulation.

“The waiver is in the public interest,” FCC commissioners wrote in a decision released this week. “It will help expedite the implementation of (Internet-enabled) services.”

Other Internet phone providers are sure to win such an exemption, the FCC notes in its 27-page order. The rules exemption for SBC is in effect for another few months, as commissioners finish drafting rules for Net phone providers.

With its decision, the FCC continues to demonstrate a hands-off approach toward voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)–software that lets a broadband connection double as a phone line…