VoIP Era Changes everything

On the last day of the 2009 – Y2K+10 Eve – it is appropriate to look back at the massive communications transformation that occurred during the first decade of the 21st century.
Ten years ago today, virtually everyone got traditional telephone services – time-division multiplexed services (TDM) from the incumbent local exchange carriers (ILECs). While the ILECs still are massive and powerful, their initial core technology is winding down as they struggle to adjust to an IP world.

In this world, not everyone is equal -- but they are a whole lot more equal than in the past.The state of things is nicely summarized by Stacey Higginbotham at GigaOm. She focuses in on a filing made to the Federal Communications Commission by AT&T in response to a request for comments on how to transition from a cricuit switched to an all-IP network. In its filing, AT&T asks for relief from the requirement that it support plain old telephone Service (POTS), and asks for a date when it will be relieved from the burden.