Citron Calls For Broadband Bill of Rights

BOSTON — Jeffrey Citron, CEO of VoIP giant Vonage, called for a “broadband bill of rights” at the Voice Over Net (VON) show here Monday.

The document — which will be developed with Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, AOL and others in the Internet community — would serve as a guideline for state and local lawmakers as they tackle a number of communications issues.

The aim is to help craft a “light but thoughtful regulatory environment,” Citron said.

Citron identified five broad guiding principals, including a minimum speed of one megabyte for DSL and cable providers.

Other tenants include the right to connect any device to the network; the right to access anything legal on the Internet; the right to privacy; and the right to quality-of-service guidelines.

“We look for participation from the industry and everyone in this industry,” Citron said.

Citron did not comment on reports that the Edison, N.J., company is preparing to go public.

He also declined comment on eBay’s recent $2.6 billion acquisition offer for Skype, although he stood by earlier statements that Skype is similar to a “calling card company” because they enable free or low-cost international calling and don’t look to replace primary home phone service.

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