Ok I'm going to post something that I doubt will get much attention but that could be important for VOIP providers interested in access to DIDs and termination in hard to hit areas.
On May 4, 2018, USTelecom, the trade association that represents LECs, in particular AT&T and Verizon, filed a petition for forbearance from certain provisions of the Communications Act that require the major ILECs to open their networks through the provision of unbundled network elements (UNEs) and other services. If granted which is VERY LIKELY, this petition will effectively phase out CLECs access to UNEs at the present economic and operational terms. Moreover, it will set the stage at some point in the future for the ILECs to withdraw these services from the market altogether. This will cement the incumbent ILEC or cable operator as the only option and in many locals they are one in the same and choke of one of the primary revenue streams for the CLECs.
More often than not I terminate through a CLEC and there are few instances where purchasing origination (DIDs) directly from the ILEC makes sense in quantity's less than 5,000. The presence of the CLEC competitors push down the origination rates for everyone. This change will cement the incumbent ILEC or cable operator as the only option and in many locals they are one in the same and choke of one of the primary revenue streams for the CLECs and could lead to higher prices or a reduction in the origination footprints of smaller ITSPs like CircleNet. A robust selection of strong CLECs leads to lower VOIP prices and more choice.
This change could also affect the quality and number of Internet providers available to many folks more so than a lot of the net neutrality/peering wars have.
I see no way this is good for anyone that isn't a shareholder of one of the ILECs, that concludes my soapbox message for today I'll step down off the box now.
Sam
*Puts on asbestos overalls in preparation for flaming*
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