[Declanomous]

>Some of these services cannot be dialed via some VOIP providers (like Google Talk) for that reason.

I always knew this was the case, but I was never really bothered by it. Both the law (see intercarrier compensation[1]) and the subsequent ban make sense.

However I've recently run it to a rash of people who I can't call because my carrier and Google Voice block their numbers. Each of them has a Puerto Rican area code. They are all cell phone numbers, they all live in Chicago like me, but I can't call or text them because their phone number is Puerto Rican. It doesn't make any sense, because Puerto Rico is a part of the United States, we are both in the US, and we each ostensibly have US phone numbers.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telecommunications_Act_of_1996

[SixSigma]

> Puerto Rico is a part of the United States

PR is an unincorporated territory i.e. not part of the United States.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unincorporated_territories_of_...

[Spooky23]

That's not really accurate. That status was developed for the transitional period after the Spanish American War, and subsequent legislation and court cases evolved that initial state.

It's really a colony, unlike US States it isn't a sovereign entity unto itself, and is essentially at the mercy of congress with respect to self-governance and other things.

[__derek__]

That's a distinction without a difference for the purposes of the comment to which you replied.

[SixSigma]

Not really. As it has its own administration and ergo telecoms system. It makes as much sense as "the UK is part of the US"

[emodendroket]

Right, yeah, who could forget how the US has sovereignty over the UK? What a nonsensical comparison.

[ubernostrum]

Puerto Rico is not a state of the United States.

Puerto Rico is territory of and subject to the jurisdiction of the United States.

[Declanomous]

I understand the political nuance, but PR phone numbers work just like a phone number from the 50 states for everyone else I know.