Net Neutrality and VoIP - 2010 Predictions

Like all of the latest bandwidth hogging, data-service-provider-circumventing technologies, Internet VoIP's fate truly lies at the hands of the Net Neutrality debate. If bandwidth providers get to decide what websites and software run over their pipes, competing Internet VoIP plays will be squashed.

Say what you want about all the excitement around the speculation that Google will make all of our future voice calls free, it probably won't happen. Net neutrality seems like a good idea for some things--like preventing censorship of websites and free speech online, but allowing applications that undercut the profitability of Internet providers doesn't seem like something that will be protected in the future.

The current FCC seems gung-ho about net neutrality, however--as we have seen with the Wireless side with AT&T and the iPhone--bandwidth whether wired or wireless is finite and at some point someone is going to have to make a value judgement about what data will get preference. With AT&T's clogged wireless network as an example, could you imagine what would happen if they made good on their promise to allow VoIP over 3G? Not only would the additional data load eat up every bit of bandwidth on the 3G network, it would undercut AT&T's voice profits making the whole iPhone experiment unprofitable.

This same connection goes for Internet plays like Skype or Google's Gizmo5. With bandwidth providers offering their own VoIP solutions, how long will they suffer competition using their own Internet services against them?

Related articles
FCC: Net Neutrality rules could be coming to protect VoIP
[1]Skype: Mr. Silverman goes to Washington [2]