Fergie's Tech Blog

Vonage Canada Challenges Shaw 'VoIP Tax'

Vonage Canada today stepped up its efforts to ensure fair and competitive telephone service for Canadians, by disclosing its request to the Canadian Radio-Television & Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to investigate Shaw Communications' "thinly veiled VoIP tax" to determine if Shaw is unfairly driving up competitor's prices and forcing Western Canadians to pay more for phone service.

Shaw recommends to its high-speed Internet customers that they pay an additional $10 charge if they use a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone service provider such as Vonage Canada. Shaw claims its "quality of service enhancement" fee, which it does not charge to its own Internet phone customers, is necessary to ensure independent VoIP service is not disrupted or degraded.

posted by Fergie @ 3/07/2006 10:25:00 AM