The US government has begun regulating VoIP technology. VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol. VoIP is the technology where voice is transferred into data then is carried over the Internet by Packet Switching technology. Packet Switching has become the standard means of telecommunications. A Packet is a unit of information, and the packets are then routed over the Internet. This is in contrast with circuit switching. The early telephone system is a perfect example of circuit switching network. The circuit is an electrical current, reminiscent of the early switchboard operators who would “connect” the callers.

VoIP works with a broadband or high speed Internet connection and allows you to place phone calls over the Internet rather than with telephone lines. There are variations between different VoIP service providers. Some only allow communication between two computers that are running the same service, while others will allow you to call any phone from your VoIP service provider.

VoIP has many advantages, simply because it is cost effective and Packet Switching uses less bandwidth then Circuit Switching which in turn saves money. Since the inception of VoIP, it was clear that because VoIP utilizes Packet Switching and not Circuit, VoIP was in a new category all by itself. Hundreds of years have passed, dedicated to passing and establishing certain laws regarding Circuit Networks and telecommunications, yet VoIP has gracefully slipped beneath all of the established rules and regulations.

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