Quote from: jjtricket on December 04, 2012, 05:48:44 PM
http://www.broadbandreports.com/shownews/Google-Wont-Include-Phone-in-Google-Fiber-122285
This story might offer a hint as to whether Google Voice will remain free.
"State and Federal Regulations Too Difficult"
Saw this posted in like 4 places on the OBi forums. That's 4 times information that has nothing to do with the question.
Google Voice is a service that the vast majority of people utilize separate from their home phone. They haven't ported to GV, they use it to call from their home, cell, or computer to somewhere in the U.S. or Canada for free. It's easy to have GV call the phone where you're at and then make the outbound call. This service is what is currently free, and that hopefully will continue to be free in 2013 (and perhaps beyond). This service belongs to an industry commonly called VoIP.
The link posted refers to home phone service. That service is where you pickup a landline in a home and dial the phone, which today is furnished by companies like AT&T, Verizon, and others. That service exists in an industry that is viewed as a utility, and is regulated by states and the federal government. Changes to pricing and levels of service have to go through regulator boards and meet conditions. Providers that wish to join this industry have to meet requirements. If Google provided phone service as part of their high speed experiment, they'd have to meet that requirement also, which includes providing E911 service. While those requirements may not be as strict as the ones that AT&T and Verizon live under, they have requirements none the less. One big one for Google would be providing what is seen as a normal level of CUSTOMER SERVICE, which is a big unknown for the company (and of course is required for their high speed service).
