The FCC will regulate broadband. VoIP and e911 are why.

Came across this Senate subcommittee hearing on the US telecoms' transition from TDM to IP. Policy stuff is often boring, but there are interesting tidbits. The major concern is maintaining the reliability and quality of service expected on POTS networks on IP-based telephony networks.

01:01:00 to 01:02:00 poses and answers the most salient question.

Communication Network Updates

"Internet industry experts testified on the implications of updating copper wire-based telephone service to Internet-based networks, also known as Internet protocol (IP) transition. They focused on how emergency services like 9-1-1 would function during the transition and the best ways to ensure people retain access to these services. A number of the panelists said people need to be educated on what is required, such as like backup batteries. Other suggestions included redundancy systems for IP and more coordination between utilities and regulatory companies."

Video: http://www.c-span.org/video/?319796-1/updating-communication-networks