FCC Asserts Role as Internet Phone Regulator The ruling, which asserts that the federal government, not states, has the authority to regulate phone service provided over the Internet.&lt;br&gt;&lt;FONT face="verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica" size="-2"\ color="#666666"&gt;&lt;B&gt; -The Washington Post&lt;/B&gt;&lt;/FONT&gt;