Well I know what this means for Vonage customers, your bill is about to go up, and you will now be contributing to keep small rural telephone companies in business. You will be paying to support companies that are still trying to surcharge for touch tone services. The very companies you are routing around you will now indirectly have to give money to them.

What isn't clear is how this is going to affect those of us that use Skype. I am sure they will have to comply as well, but seeing Skype calls terminating to land lines in the United States is free at the moment, it may not be a big deal till they end the promotion.

Since the FCC is going to charge that tax the FCC should put that money in a special fund to help build public owned infrastructure that the phone companies can not control. We are being taxed to support these phone companies that are about to divide the Internet into tool booths, in order for companies like Vonage to have access to their networks in order for their data to pass unrestricted through their networks.

This is shameful beyond words. [news.com.com]