Premature play against phone regulators

[Commentary] Gov. Jerry Brown (D-CA) has until September 30 to veto a bill that would eliminate all regulatory oversight of Internet phone service in California - and could eliminate nearly all telephone regulation in the state, according to consumer groups. The sooner he says no, the better.

Last month, the state legislature approved SB1161, authored by state Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Pacoima. The bill is purportedly about ensuring that the California Public Utilities Commission doesn't regulate innovative new Internet calling services like Skype or Google Voice. The fact that the commission hasn't regulated these products seems to have gone unnoticed by the Legislature. It hasn't gone unnoticed by consumer groups, who note that there's little need to pre-emptively prohibit the commission from regulating the new service - particularly when the new service might be making its way to a landline near you.