FCC Begins Transition to All-IP Interconnection

[Commentary] On April 18, 2013 the Federal Communications Commission took matters into its own hands and began the transition to all-IP interconnection with not one, but two steps.

First, the FCC began a process to authorize IP-based providers to obtain telephone numbers directly from the numbering administrator. Second, and perhaps more importantly, the FCC sought comment on database and routing issues that must be resolved in order to enable the transition to all-IP interconnection. It is almost impossible to overstate the importance of these database and routing issues. With a database in place, service providers will be free to figure out all of the details needed to move to a world of all-IP interconnection. With all due respect to lawyers, let’s hope those details are worked out by engineers.