Vonage scored a major victory today when a federal court ruled Minnesota cannot regulate/treat the company as a regular telephone service provider. The decision comes on the heels of the FCC's ruling that Internet telephony falls within its mandate - not the states. The federal court decision is just another chapter in the regulatory process now unfolding in terms of who will regulate Internet telephony - if, in fact, it can be regulated. In Canada, the CRTC is expected to make a decision in early-2005. For a lot more insight and comment on the Vonage/Minnesota ruling, check out Jeff Pulver's blog.

As Canada's telecommunications regulator heads into 2005, it faces a litany of challenges at a time when the $32-billion industry is poised to go through extraordinary change.

Among the most pressing issues the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission must address are whether/how to regulate Internet telephony; finding a replacement for David Colville, who retired recently as vice-chair, telecom; dealing with a heavy backlog of regulatory decisions and applications; and the start of the next price-cap regime.

At the same time, the CRTC is being pressured to implement a comprehensive regulatory review. BCE Inc. has been leading the charge for more ...   more »