1. End to end IP is happening thanks to Skype.. and empowering people that wouldn’t otherwise talk to each other.
2. Disintermediation of the PBX businesses as CEO’s realize they are only selling software.
3. Skype has the potential to be the operating system like Microsoft; however, they are susceptible to Microsoft. On the consumer side Skype is like an iPod. On the industry side they need to watch their back for they will create rage at AOL and Yahoo.

He alluded to a mindset war and not a technology war. I’m wrapping that into three points:

1. Skype must create a rich developer community, and enable new strategies to accelerate innovative products that were impossible over old networks.
2. The mindset is won with users, and the user experience. Skype must very carefully balance advancement with “trust” and doing good for Skypers.
3. The need to keep regulation and the old industry off the emerging VON solution set. Secure our freedom to connect.

Jeff on Net Freedoms:
We had a short segment on Net Freedoms which made the most impact on me. We take our freedoms to be self-evident until they are taken away. The battle above means a very different landscape for mobile providers, and traditional telecoms. The best of the smart service providers will become dumb access pipe providers when it is all over. “We” all need connectivity and our freedom to connect. Former Chairman Powell and the new FCC Chairman must work to ensure those net freedoms become adopted and subscribed to by the service providers of the world.

Jeff shared his activities in Washington over the last few months trying to explain what his fears are. He says they are taken too much for granted. We need to guarantee the freedom to run our own applications. There really is a greater need for a call to action. This one needs to be on more than just the blogger radar. He’s running a VoIP Policy Summit 2005 in Washington on May 4th and planning a rally on the steps of the capital at the end of June. Getting the people out for the rally means the message must become one about our basic freedoms. This is not just about technology.

My wish is.. that if you Skype then you will want to support Net Freedoms. As the largest VoIP community in the world this is not just about technology. It is the freedom to connect to whomever you want. It’s the freedom to converse, the freedom and rights to privacy, to exchange data, to control your own information. So free conversations and a great app like Skype is nice. However net freedoms is bigger than that. Skype is a vehicle and it is easy to associate consumer stories with it. It already makes the net freedom story easier to tell.

Jeff commented that he thought that Niklas may take this too much for granted and could be a blind spot. I’m pretty sure he’d like Niklas on the steps of Congress telling his story and sharing his vision. Niklas recently presented this paper (CEPT Conference Presentation). He’s not unaware, he’s just powerless relative to “users”. “We” Skype users are the ones to make the case, and be the ones to march on Washington. Skype is a great app as long as it has “consumer trust” and promotes user freedoms.

My conclusion: Net Freedom is a badge that all Skypers should wear as long as Skype preserves our trust. Something we will be blogging a lot more about here.