ronpin
Imagine Reality
join:2002-12-06
Nirvana | I smell the RBOC's here
Really, who would expect a broadband based (AC powered) home system to conform to E911 standards? VoIP is a "second-line" solution -- best used by those who also have cell phones. Only regulators would be stupid enough to not work-with VoIP. |
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clecrupt9
join:2002-01-22
GA
| I am leaning more to there being some kind of motive because from what I understand carriers are given up to 9 months to comply with State 911 services. Why was Vonage only given 30 days?
As far as AC powered 911, Vonage itself calls its emergency service 911. When someone tells me they offer 911, I do not understand all the technical aspects of where and when the service could fail. Vonage may have opened the 911 can of worms on itself. |
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Maxo
Your tax dollars at work.
Premium,VIP
join:2002-11-04
Tallahassee, FL
clubs:
| If you are ditching
If you are ditching your POTS service for a an online style telephone service that's quality depends on the quality of your ISP then you are asking for trouble. POTS runs even when your lights are out. With VOIP you would have to have two seperate ISPS (like DSL and Cable) and a power backup like a generator or at the least a UPS to ensure phone service during outtages or disasters. VOIP is not a telephone service, should not be sold as a telephone service, and should not replace telephone service, unless the technology and the stability of a residential ISP becomes exponentialy better.
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"Knowhutimean, Vern?" - Ernest P. Worrell »www.maxolasersquad.com |
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Dennis
Premium,Mod
join:2001-01-26
Algonquin, IL
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| Great questions
As a person who works for a Telco, i'm glad to see somebody finally asking these questions.
Don't get me wrong, i'm not against vonage, nor do I want them to get put out of business. But it's nice to see they can't get their cake and eat it too.
Let's see how much they complain when they have to deal with the same things we do in the telco world.
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"There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root. " --Henry David Thoreau |
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Maxo
Your tax dollars at work.
Premium,VIP
join:2002-11-04
Tallahassee, FL
clubs:
| reply to clecrupt9
Re: I smell the RBOC's here
I agree, both by selling the service as a type of "phone service" and by selling the other as a 911 service they are digging their own grave. They should call it a phone service alternative and call the E911 service E-Emergency line or something.
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"Knowhutimean, Vern?" - Ernest P. Worrell »www.maxolasersquad.com |
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Tomek
Premium
join:2002-01-30
Brooklyn, NY
 ·Packet8
| How about Cell Phones?
What about cellular providers?
If my cell phone damaged by third party or transmission tower is down for any reason and I CAN'T call 911 in case of emergency, what then?
I consider VoIP as secondary technology but not replacement for POTS. To have it as a primary phone carrier, first I will have to have 100% reliable connection.
It surprises my that politicians treat VoIP as a standard phone company.
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The Truth is out there |
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pnh102
Reptiles Are Cuddly And Pretty
Premium
join:2002-05-02
Mount Airy, MD
 ·Comcast
| reply to Dennis
Re: Great questions
said by Dennis  :
Let's see how much they complain when they have to deal with the same things we do in the telco world.
I consider this to be a great development. The sooner that Vonage and other alternative phone providers implement things like 911 on the same level or service as a normal telegraph company, the sooner they will be taken seriously as a legitimate competitor in the telephone market.
--
Jewel got Britney-fied! There is hope for the world yet! |
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Bobcat
Premium
join:2001-02-04
Bedminster, NJ
·Verizon Online DSL
|  reply to Maxo
Re: If you are ditching
Even though I have a UPS, my cable connection doesn't work during power failures. And even if it did work, there's no way I'd ever rely on my ISP or Vonage to carry a 911 call. Flat-rate POTS local service is only $16 per month. My life and the lives of my family members are worth $16 per month.
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"We know where they are."
» Donald Rumsfeld on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, March 30, 2003. |
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Dennis
Premium,Mod
join:2001-01-26
Algonquin, IL
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| reply to pnh102
Re: Great questions
said by pnh102 :
The sooner that Vonage and other alternative phone providers implement things like 911 on the same level or service as a normal telegraph company, the sooner they will be taken seriously as a legitimate competitor in the telephone market.
I agree, plus I am insanly curious as to how they will do this without incorporating a wireless solution or using copper.
hey, there's an idea. Don't all cellphones have access to the 911 service even if they are not activated? Time to break out the bag phone you mom still has and put it in a shiny new box.
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"There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root. " --Henry David Thoreau |
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lvas
join:2001-05-17
Glen Carbon, IL
| reply to Bobcat
Re: If you are ditching
yea but the only reason the local RBOC can offer the FLat rate pots at $16 a month is they sell a ton of loaded Local phone services. If everyone switchs to Vonage for there "real phone traffic" then the RBOCs will go under and who will own/maintain those data lines? |
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2farfromCO7
join:2000-10-14
Farmington, MI
| The blackout has clearly intensified this debate
Like many other industries, the recent blackout has really brought these VOIP issues into the forefront more anything. Of course, MY POTS LINE WENT OUT IN THE BLACKOUT TOO AND DIDN'T COME BACK for 24hours AFTER the power was back, so what good is that. I was told that area-wide blackouts can cutoff the phonelines for many people who are on certain kinds of switches that need power to run. Why isn't that issue being brought up? How can the RBOCs get away with that? |
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Maxo
Your tax dollars at work.
Premium,VIP
join:2002-11-04
Tallahassee, FL
clubs:
| reply to lvas
Re: If you are ditching
That's very true, but it's also an entirely different topic. And seeings how we are both argueing that you shouldn't ditch your POTS line no matter what. And if you care for those extra features you won't be using VOIP anyhow. Also if you're VOIP runs over DSL then there's one extra feature. VOIP for right now is neat but it's definitely not at a stage to replace POTS.
--
"Knowhutimean, Vern?" - Ernest P. Worrell »www.maxolasersquad.com |
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pnh102
Reptiles Are Cuddly And Pretty
Premium
join:2002-05-02
Mount Airy, MD
·Comcast
| reply to Dennis
Re: Great questions
said by Dennis :
Don't all cellphones have access to the 911 service even if they are not activated?
I believe they do. Is it possible to dial 911 on an inactive landline phone?
--
Jewel got Britney-fied! There is hope for the world yet! |
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Maxo
Your tax dollars at work.
Premium,VIP
join:2002-11-04
Tallahassee, FL
clubs:
| reply to 2farfromCO7
Re: The blackout has clearly intensified this debate
The RBOCs worked really hard at keeping POTS up. There's absolutely no way to prepare for something as incredibly crasy as that blackout. Most people didn't lose POTS because of the sweet a lot of telco techs put in to make it happen. There is no way to gauruntee 100% anything will work. You can only prepare for what's reasonable and hope for the best.
--
"Knowhutimean, Vern?" - Ernest P. Worrell »www.maxolasersquad.com |
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2farfromCO7
join:2000-10-14
Farmington, MI | Nevertheless, the 3000 or so people in my sq mile(remember I live in a DENSE INNER SUBURB) all lost their phone line for the entire blackout plus 24 hours after. A Vonage line would've been back sooner. |
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Dennis
Premium,Mod
join:2001-01-26
Algonquin, IL
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| reply to pnh102
Re: Great questions
[url=http://www.911phone.net/]Here ya go, give one of these to everyone[url].
As for telco, I don't think they are required to provide 911, because without dialtone it wouldn't work.
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"There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root. " --Henry David Thoreau |
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Biagra
@aol.com | reply to Maxo
Re: If you are ditching
Until this company becomes independant and provides their own ISP service (dedicated solely for the use of making phone calls), connections, boxes etc... (like a POTS service) I will not bother to sign up. |
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amenite
The Soylent - It's People
Premium
join:2002-11-21
Ridgewood, NJ
clubs:
·Verizon Online DSL
| reply to clecrupt9
Re: I smell the RBOC's here
said by clecrupt9 :
I am leaning more to there being some kind of motive because from what I understand carriers are given up to 9 months to comply with State 911 services. Why was Vonage only given 30 days?
...
As I read it they have been given 30 days to file the plan, not to comply. Planning and compliance are two entirely different things.
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Time is an abstract concept invented by carbon based life forms to monitor their constant decay.-Thunderclese |
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Biagra
@aol.com | reply to Tomek
Re: How about Cell Phones?
Unlike cell service VOIP service is dependant on other ISP connections which means if the service fails vonange will not be liable for the damages occured (even if it was a failure on vonage part the likelihood of proving it will be a challenge). |
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DSLrgm
Premium,MVM
join:2002-08-22
Oak Park, MI
| reply to ronpin
Re: I smell the RBOC's here
My cell phone did not work during the great power outage, no power at the local tower.
My analog circuit did work. Power at the local CO was powering my simple analog phone.
I have a friend that supported MIT's ISDN phone system (don't know it they still have that, this was 6 years ago). They had plain analog phones around campus for emergencies if they lost power. And they did. |
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