Jeff Pulver, the one-time force behind VoiP company Vonage and now an Internet video entrepreneur and self-appointed minister of propaganda for the technology, said Internet firms should expect the FCC to make loud rumblings with respect to video online.
Pulver’s warnings came in response to comments made by FCC Commissioner Deborah Tate, who told the conference the day before that the agency would likely consider regulations to ban child pornography online.
Tate spoke in reference to the Communications Act of 2006, a wide-ranging Senate bill that addresses the cable/video franchise process, net neutrality, online child protection, digital TV and numerous other issues.
Although the bill has yet to pass the Senate, Pulver said Tate’s comments constituted a warning shot to those involved in Internet video, drawing a parallel between this potential regulation and a failed 1996 attempt to restrict VoiP.
According to Pulver, the developing technology represents a shift in the media power structure, which could potentially put the means of production in the hands of Internet users.
The similarity to TV, Pulver said, may be the avenue through which the FCC may attempt to regulate Internet video, an occurrence he believes will stifle creativity.
"There are ways to fight this," Pulver said. "Don't let regulation get in the way of your innovation."