At its open meeting last week, the FCC took two steps to promote competition for video and voice services. First it banned exclusive contracts between providers and owners of "multiple dwelling units" (MDUs), such as rental apartments. That allows those residents to have their choice among any provider in the neighborhood. Second, the FCC expanded the right of telephone subscribers to keep their phone number, called "number portability," to include voice over IP (VOIP) services. The former will primarily help phone companies trying to capture customers away from incumbent cable operators, while the later will primarily help cable operators and stand alone VOIP providers trying to capture customers away from incumbent local telephone companies.
展开▼
