FCC's schizoid rulings on DSL, wiretapping

By at 9:50 am Monday, Aug 8

Declan McCullagh reports:
The Federal Communications Commission has become weirdly schizophrenic. In a pair of decisions on Friday, the commissioners voted to veer in two radically different directions: deregulating DSL lines while simultaneously imposing onerous wiretapping requirements on broadband providers. [...]

The text of the FCC's CALEA order is not yet public, but early signs are worrisome. The FCC's two-page summary says that voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) providers like Vonage that mimic traditional phone service must rewire their networks to be easily wiretappable.

It also proposes--and this is the worrisome part--to levy the same requirement on "facilities-based broadband Internet access service providers," which seems to cover any company or school offering any type of cable modem, DSL, satellite or wireless service. They'll have 18 months to comply or be fined.

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Xeni Jardin

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