Regulating VoIP Service in USA via Hosted PBX

Federal Communication Commission of United States controls and regulates all means of communication and information services through a system called hosted PBX, which stands for Private Branch Exchange System. The governament quickly decided to regulate the whole system to save the nation from potential problems that may emerge from a hectic system. It was a difficult task for the hosted PBX system to find out and rectify such issues because some of them were clear while some were hidden and difficult to find out.

There are defferent ways to regulate information and communication services. For information services rules are quite flexible but for communication services rules are very strict. Now it is hard for the regulatory authorities to monitor VoIP services in USA. VoIP technology is used to make phone calls but it uses internet for data transfer. These calls can be data transfer through internet as well as phone service like AT & T. VoIP calls are internet data content because these calls are totally defferent from traditional telephone service. It is also because VOIP service providers in USA don’t want their service to be categorized as telecommunication service.

Several major issues emerged due to this classification when the law about hosted PBX system was implemented. They have been entitled to work according to the law. CALEA (Communication Assistance for Law Enforcement Act) has passed a law in 1994, which allows government to spy over all types of wire and electronic communication and to provide information to the government. Fortunately, this law did not apply to VOIP service in USA. At that time their service did not qualify the definition of telecommunication. After sometime CALEA had been expended to all internet and telecommunication services including VOIP service. Now in America, it is essential for all telecommunication service providers (including VoIP providers) to install all software and hardware to support (LEA) Law Enforcement Agency.

The story does not end at this poit. There is another problem with hosted PBX system and with law enforcement agencies. VOIP service providers do not share the physical address and other information of their client with anyone. It is considered okay that they don't share information while they place calls on internet. However, sometimes client information must be shared with the government. For example, E911 service must have their address. The information should be provide due to some security reasons. Thats why hosted PBX system wanted to open these limitations for the VOIP costomers in USA. 

The most painful news for every new invention in the field of information technology is that it will come certainly under the government regulatory system. If you are planing to start a new VoIP service company in USA, you must be in a postion to adopt certian things like emergency service and law enforcement.