House of Commons considering VoIP telephony for MP riding offices

The House of Commons is experimenting with a new Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephony system for MPs’ constituency offices. The pilot project is slated to get underway this month and will last from six to 12-months. It was approved by the House Board of Internal Economy on May 23. The House Administration is offering the politicians a choice between a House-managed service and one managed by the members themselves. Both options feature VoIP technology. The pilot actually got started last winter when four MPs – one from each recognized party in the House – took part in a trial run. The new study will expand to 34 MPs on a pro rata basis, based on party standings. The original four are part of the 34 MPs who will provide data. The board received complaints from 77 MPs about riding office telephony. Many of the complaints came from politicians in Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia. One Alberta MP said when a second call comes into his office, the microphone of the phone line already in use gets cut off. The current system for constituency offices is plagued with several problems. Current technology is being discontinued by telecom service providers, requiring a shift to VoIP services. The need for coordination at the House level means implementation of new services may often be delayed. Existing hardware is out of production, causing reliance on used-market replacements. MPs have reported issues with call history, call blocking, handset conditions and call quality. In their primary riding office, MPs are permitted to have up to four constituency office lines, one fax line and one toll-free number. Voicemail services are also provided. These are funded through the central budget of the House of Commons. If an MP has a secondary riding office, it must be paid for out of the parliamentarian’s office budget. VoIP services were part of a pilot project on the Hill in 2015. MPs liked the new service and it was adopted from 2016 to 2019. It is hoped deploying VoIP at the riding level will give MPs more options including video conferencing and messaging services. Staff could access calls from any internet-connected device, meaning they would not necessarily have to be in the physical office in order to help voters. This story was originally reported by Laura Ryckewaert in our affiliated publication The Hill Times. She quoted New Democrat MP Peter Julian as saying calls may drop or too many calls cause the system to get overloaded. – Reporting by Paul Park at ppark@thewirereport.ca

House of Commons considering VoIP telephony for MP riding offices

News | June 13, 2024

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House of Commons considering VoIP telephony for MP riding offices

News | June 13, 2024

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