FCC declines to exclude VoIP from new accessibility rules for disabled persons

Posted on October 17, 2011 | By Voicent Customer Service

The Federal Communications Commission has declined to exclude VoIP from new disabled-person access rules for the protocol and the advanced devices that use. Exemptions or waivers from the rules had been requested by the National Cable and Telecommunications Association.

The FCC decisions, announced over the weekend, did give Cable operators additional time to implement the rules and opportunities to obtain waivers.

The rules stem from the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA). The FCC had been given a year from the Act’s October 2010 passage to come up with implementation rules.

The law reinstates video-description rules that were struck-down in a 1992 appellate court decision, and the application of closed-caption rules for on-line video.

The FCC has asked for the submission of additional comment on the need for exempting small businesses from the ruling.

The FCC made blog posts, on-line comments and social-networking site messages exempt from the new rules.

However, the agency said i will not grant “class” waivers for digital video players or other IP-enabled devices; gaming services or software.

The new rules call fro fines of up to $100,000 per day or $1 million per incident.

Posted in Business, technology, VoIP |

From Mashable: 3 uncommon reasons small businesses should choose VoIP

Posted on October 10, 2011 | By Voicent Customer Service

In a recent Mashable.com article, marketing and technology guru Chris Moody offers three uncommonly-known reasons that small businesses should choose VoIP:

1)  No More Wonky Phone Switches

VoIP enables you to get rid of the closet full of hardware and wires, making your phone system cheaper and faster to repair.

2) Better Remote Customer Support

When you get rid of old-fashioned phone equipment, you get rid of rigidly slow, old-fashion phone company customer service.

3) More User-Friendly for Employees

Newer equipment tends to be much more user-friendly, flexible and intuitive to use.

Compared to old systems, VoIP systems are a snap to do things like access your voice-mail in or out of the office, or even accomplish simple tasks such as forwarding calls to a mobile number.

Because VoIP technology is integrated into systems that employees are already using, such as web and mobile devices, they will take to the systems more easily, Moody says.

Posted in Business, VoIP 101 |

FCC clarifies cell phone GPS requirement

Posted on October 10, 2011 | By Voicent Customer Service

The Federal Communications Commission has  clarified a recent order that was widely misinterpreted as requiring all cell phones to have GPS by 2018.

Last month, the FCC issued an update to its E911 requirements, which some believed would require handset makers to address e-911 problems by making all their devices GPS-ready by 2018.

Because the number assignments and physical locations of cell phones often do not agree, calling in a 911 emergency on a cell phone case cause huge problems for emergency response organizations.

This weakness in the system has not only prevented businesses and homeowners from completely changing their phone systems to VoIP, but has also allowed pranksters to phone in hoax emergencies, wasting the time and resources of emergency organizations and possibility endangering lives.

The FCC’s ruling does not require GPS in new handsets, but does require makers to be able by that date to determine the location of a handset within a geographic radius of 50 feet. How that is accomplished–by built-in GPS or network enabling, is left to the handset maker, according to the FCC.

Posted in Business, technology, VoIP, VoIP 101 |