Consumer counsel backs VoIP quality standards, seeks edits; bill would ban remote‑connection fees

The Office of Consumer Counsel told the Energy and Technology Committee that it strongly supports a bill to require quality‑of‑service reporting for voice‑over‑IP services and a separate ban on remote‑connection fees. The OCC said the change would better protect customers who rely on telephony service for 9‑1‑1 and for service reliability comparisons.

Scope and exclusions: Rhianna Ash of the OCC explained the bill aims to reach wireline, facilities‑based carriers that already contribute to state 9‑1‑1 funds and file quality data; it is not intended to sweep in nomadic or app‑based voice services such as Zoom or WhatsApp. The OCC recommended technical edits to the draft language to make that exclusion explicit and to ensure companies report consistently for VoIP customers.

Remote‑connection fees, consumer protections: OCC counsel Claire Coleman told the committee that remote‑connection fees often lack cost justification and fall more heavily on vulnerable customers. The OCC favors a ban accompanied by clear reporting requirements, and proposed technical fixes to ensure the statute will achieve its consumer‑protection goals without unintended exclusions.

Why it matters: As carriers replace copper networks with fiber and VoIP, state oversight has not always tracked the change in technology. The bill would align reporting and enforcement tools with modern wireline carrier services that provide emergency calling and other essential functions.

Next steps: The OCC asked the committee for time to work on technical edits to preserve the bill’s consumer protection goals while narrowing unintended scope. Several lawmakers asked follow‑up questions on exclusions for nomadic services and on whether cellular was covered (it is not). The OCC agreed to provide redlined language.