SB1161: Just what is it?

[Auggie]

Don't block Internet phone regulation (San Francisco Chronicle Editorial / 8-18-12)

Beware of bills that claim to solve no problems.

One of those is in the Legislature right now, waiting patiently for the Assembly to pass it along to Gov. Jerry Brown. The text of the bill, SB1161, says that its intent is to "reaffirm California's current policy" on Internet phone services like Skype and Google Voice by preventing the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) from regulating them.

Certainly Internet phone services deserve a light touch when it comes to governmental regulation. A rapidly growing number of Californians have come to depend on them, particularly for international communications, and for great reasons: They're dirt cheap (or free), easy to use and at least as convenient as expensive landline calls. TeleGeography, a telecommunications market research firm, estimates that international Skype calls grew by an astounding 48 percent in 2011, to 145 billion minutes, while traditional telephone companies had growth of just 4 percent.

Given these numbers, we grew suspicious when we learned that some of SB1161's biggest supporters were traditional telephone companies like AT&T and Comcast Communications. Why would these companies go out of their way to support the competition?

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Don-t-block-Internet-phone-regulation-3798265.php

The article continues to say that the foremost concern of this bill is that it will tie the CPUC's hands pre-emptively. If it's not know yet how crucial Internet phone services are going to become to consumers, why would it be good to outlaw the CPUC from ever stepping in to protect them?