Vonage's Citron: ISP is surcharging for Vonage access

On Monday, Vonage CEO Jeff Citron charged that an unnamed Internet Service Provider was implementing a surcharge on customers that wanted to use Vonage's VoIP services over its network.

Citron made the charge while speaking at the Progress & Freedom Foundation's Aspen Summit in (you get one guess where) Aspen, Col.

"Those who say there's not a network neutrality problem need to take their head out of the sand," Citron told the group. He added there is "no law that prohibits (blocking), so you can't adjudicate against it."

He then used these charges to argue for a "broadband bill of rights" that would codify the type of services a broadband  subscriber could expect access to.

That's even if the service was not specifically offered by their broadband Internet Service Provider, but a service which suscribers would access over broadband lines from their broadband ISP.

AdvancedIPpipeline's Paul Kapustka's account of ISP reaction to Citron's plea for "network neutrality" makes it sound like those ISP's would just as soon rather not deal with the issue.

"I think we're all in agreement on the (neutrality) principles," Paul quotes SBC group president Forrest Miller as saying. "But should we cut them into stone? I'm not sure."

But then, Paul quotes Miller as saying something which sure sounds like the SBC exec is dang sure.

"How can I justify a $4 billion investment in (Project) Lightspeed if it's a commons," Miller asked, referring to SBC's IP-services related fiber buildout. "If Jeff (Citron) wants a better part of the pipe, he's welcome to pay for it."