CommLaw Monitor

News and analysis from Kelley Drye’s communications practice group

Now on Deck: Carrier Asks FCC to Preempt Pennsylvania PUC VoIP Decision

The VoIP jurisdictional saga continues. Last month, we discussed a decision by the Pennsylvania PUC asserting jurisdiction over intrastate Voice over IP calls and a decision by a US District Court reaching the opposite…

Congress Investigates Rural LEC "Traffic Pumping"

The House Committee on Energy and Commerce has sent a February 16, 2010 letter to 24 rural local exchange carriers seeking information about their access charge services. The 24 carriers receiving the letters were…

Federal Court Rules that VoIP Need Not Pay Access Charges

The U.S. District Court in D.C. ruled today that IP-originated calls are "information services" that are subject to the local reciprocal compensation scheme - and not access charges - for intercarrier compensation. The…

FCC Petitioned in Access Charge Litigation

Beehive Telephone has Petitioned the FCC for a declaratory ruling in an effort to salvage a lawsuit that Beehive brought against Sprint in federal court for collection of access charges. According to the Petition,…

Prepaid Card Provider Seeks Stay, Dismissal of AT&T Access Charge Suit

A few months ago, AT&T sued IDT Corp. for failing to pay access charges allegedly due on local-dialed prepaid calling cards. As we expected, IDT has moved the court to stay, or in the alternative, dismiss, AT&T's…