Philippines VOIP regs

We're now in year two and counting of the FCC's proceeding to figure out how to treat VOIP services.  In the meantime, the Philippines became the latest country to revamp its regulations.  This is from the Asian Journal:

NTC sees waning opposition to its VoIP guidelines

THE NATIONAL Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has seen less and less opposition to its once-controversial guidelines that has effectively re-classified voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) as a value-added rather than a voice service, an official told INQ7.net.

The re-classification allows companies that do not have a congressional franchise for telephone service to offer VoIP services. . . .

The NTC said that the recent development in Congress, where a House-sponsored VoIP bill has moved from second to third reading, has given a boost to its efforts to deregulate VoIP services in the country.

George Kintanar, a consultant for the House committee on information and communications technology, said last week that the House Bill 3476 has passed second reading.

"We welcome this news. But as you all know, the NTC has already been implementing its own guidelines on VoIP. This law will, however, help us because we thought in the beginning that the telcos will stop us from implementing our guidelines," Sarmiento said.

House Representatives Clavel Asas-Martinez, Abraham Kahlil Mitra, Simeon Kintanar, and Rozzano Rufino Biazon are co-authors of HB 3476, also known as the "Philippine VOIP Act of 2005."

A copy of the proposed measure indicated that the NTC will be the implementing agency for this proposed law.

The lawmakers believe that promoting VoIP services in the Philippines recognizes the role and contribution of communications in nation building.(INQ7)