Free World Dialup

FWD (formerly known as Free World Dialup) is Voice over IP network company owned by Pulver.com, Inc. and founded in 1995 by Jeff Pulver, Brandon Lucas, and Izak Jenie.

The service allows users to make telephone calls to other FWD users around the world. Through limited connections to the Public Switched Telephone Network users can receive direct-dialed calls from landline users, as well as place calls to toll-free numbers in the United States and other countries.

Pursuant to a ruling by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on February 12, 2004, the Wireline Competition Bureau considers FWD to be an information service rather than a telecommunications service. This ruling follows a petition by Pulver.com on February 5, 2003 seeking a declaration of this nature. A similar petition made by AT&T remains under consideration.

On September 27 2005, the company changed its name from Free World Dialup to FWD. A servicemark for the new name was granted on April 20 2004. According to the registration record, the servicemark is not an acronym: the letters stand for nothing at all. The company later removed all references to "Free World Dialup" from their website, although the www.freeworlddialup.com website still resolves.

FWD is connected to other VoIP networks by IPeerX.

Annual Charge

On August 8 2008, the company announced they would charge a $30 (US) annual 'membership fee'. [cite web
last = Pulver
first = Jeff
title = FWD moving to $30 annual membership fee
date = 2008-08-08
url = http://voip-info.org/wiki/view/Fee+Announcement+from+Free+World+Dialup
accessdate = 2008-08-08 ]

Quotes

"Despite attempts to characterize this Order as limited to the specific facts of Pulver.com's FWD, I am concerned that the decision speaks much more expansively. By deciding the statutory classification of Pulver.com's service as an interstate information service, the Order raises a host of questions about the continuing relevance of those most fundamental telecommunications policy objectives that Congress has entrusted to this Commission." — FCC Commissioner Michael Copps

References

External links

* [http://www.freeworlddialup.com/ FWD] , official site
* [http://pulver.com/ Pulver.com] , official site
* cite web
title=FCC Rules on Pulver's Free World Dialup VOIP Service
work=Tech Law Journal
url=http://www.techlawjournal.com/topstories/2004/20040212b.asp | accessmonthday=November 13 | accessyear=2005
* cite web
title=Free World Dialup renamed to FWD
work=The Jeff Pulver Blog
url=http://pulverblog.pulver.com/archives/003012.html
accessmonthday=November 13
accessyear=2005
* cite web
title=US Serial No: 76501735
work=United States Patent & Trademark Office
url=http://portal.uspto.gov/external/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1I1/.cmd/ad/.ar/sa.gov.uspto.tow.actions.DetailViewAction/.c/6_0_CH/.ce/7_0_1JJ/.p/5_0_1CH/.d/0?isSubmitted=true&details=&SELECT=US+Serial+No&TEXT=76501735 | accessmonthday=April 2
accessyear=2006