Question

What is VoIP service? Will it allow me to make phone calls from my computer? Do I need DSL or other broadband connection to use it?

Answer

VoIP service refers to Voice over Internet Protocol, which means using Internet technology to transmit and deliver voice communications. Rather than using the traditional analog telephone network, VoIP digitizes the voice signal into information packets that are sent over the Internet or computer network. The packets are reassembled at the other end of the connection to produce the voice signal. Until recently, IP network-delivered voice service has been constrained by very poor quality and limited reliability. Recent advancements in IP technology have improved the quality of digitized voice service, and IP networks are becoming more and more capable of carrying voice communications on par with the traditional network.

From a technical starting point, users must have a broadband connection to take advantage of VoIP and other IP-enabled services. Since VoIP is Internet-based, it was developed independent of the policy and regulatory realm that has governed the national telephone network. There remain serious misgivings about the IP networks current lack of E-911 capabilities and the inability of law enforcement officials to track and "tap" packet-based voice signals. Congress, the FCC, and state lawmakers are currently investigating how to promote the roll-out of VoIP and other IP-enabled services at the same time as they safeguard the universal service, emergency, law enforcement, consumer privacy and other social policy objectives attained and promoted through the national switched telephone network for almost a century.