Introduction: At its January 30th Open Commission Meeting, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to approve a petition AT&T had filed (in November 2012) to conduct trials of an “all-Internet Protocol (IP) network” that would eventually replace the PSTN and TDM networks now used extensively in the U.S. The transition will be from plain Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) delivered over 2 wire copper subscriber loops to feature-rich voice services using Internet Protocols, to be delivered over coaxial cable, fiber, or wireless networks. The TDM network that transports POTS and digital switched voice/data would be replaced by an IP based packet switched network. The FCC press release on this initiative can be read here. The FCC says: “This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action. Release of the full text of a Commission order constitutes official action.” But that FCC order has not yet been published. Service Provider Trial Proposal Schedule and Requirements: Described as a “set of voluntary experiments,” the FCC asked service providers to submit proposals for the IP transition trials. Such proposals are due by Feb. 20, 2014, followed by a public comment and reply period ending on March 31, 2014, with a final decision on the proposals to […]
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