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Print 16 comment(s) - last by Tedtalker1.. on May 6 at 3:04 AM
CALEA will allow for easy monitoring of your voice and text conversations

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is giving companies that offer high-speed Internet and web-based phone services one year to upgrade their systems to allow wiretapping by law enforcement.  These companies have until May 14, 2007, to comply with the Communications Assitance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA).  Along with the providers of broadband Internet access, VoIP companies that provide connections to the public switched telephone network will also be affected by the new law.  According to Reuters:

The agency declined requests by carriers to reconsider the deadline and also turned down a request for companies to be able to recover the costs of complying with the requirements.

The companies will be required to pay for all modifications themselves.  Several companies already included wiretapping hooks in the original infrastructure designs.  Vonage, on the other hand, has been a strong opponent of the bill and does not have wiretapping abilities in place.

CALEA in its entirety can be read on askcalea.net or via the FCC website.

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Stick with a real phone company
By The Boston Dangler on 5/5/2006 9:44:14 AM , Rating: 2
I'm surprised Vonage, etc., weren't already required to comply with CALEA. Then again, these vaporous telcos have a history of complying with laws and telecom standards only when it's convenient. There is absolutely no QoS nor E911, and they are entirely reliant on a 3rd party internet connection. They were recently restricted from signing up new customers until a 911 substitute was in place. My company, as well as any other telecom, will always treat a Vonage phone call packet just like an email packet: lowest priority and not delivered in order.




RE: Stick with a real phone company
By AlexWade on 5/5/2006 9:47:54 AM , Rating: 3
Sounds like somebody is afraid of competition.


RE: Stick with a real phone company
By The Boston Dangler on 5/5/2006 9:58:10 AM , Rating: 2
Not at all. Everything I stated was totally factual.


By DigitalFreak on 5/5/2006 10:28:14 AM , Rating: 2
Ahh, I do so love those folks that spout the company propaganda. Was that a sheep I heard?


By segagenesis on 5/5/2006 10:08:06 AM , Rating: 2
Actually hes is correct. Oh, and where I live I *wish* I had that kind of competition. Its either Ma Bell or No Bell.


RE: Stick with a real phone company
By kattanna on 5/5/2006 11:46:28 AM , Rating: 2
LOL dont make me laugh....

after waiting 5 months..whoa..slow down there..dont want to rush things...

ATT/SBC was finally able to install a T1/VOIP setup here, and i can tell you they dont have E911 either. And when i asked them about it...i got this blank stare and a "we will look into it" answer. I have yet to have a pleasant encounter with our local telco...we have instead started calling them the FBI around here...

Fumbling Bunch of Idiots

"vaporous telcos" thats funny...at least they CAN provide support and services in a timely manner



RE: Stick with a real phone company
By Trisped on 5/5/2006 5:47:06 PM , Rating: 2
Of course I don't have a lot of respect for a company who buys a T1. I have had T1 speeds on my DSL since 2000. If I wanted a dedicated line I would at least jump up to a T3.

Still, you would hope that a big telcom would make their VoIP so it used their networks just like a regular phone call. Maybe phones are still circuit switched?


RE: Stick with a real phone company
By vhato on 5/5/2006 7:40:11 PM , Rating: 2
Your kidding about T1's right? There is more to a T-1 than 1.5mbps and the co$t difference in some areas between a T-1 and T-3 are astronomical. AND in some areas ONLY a T-1 is available for business, No DSL, No Cable....


By saratoga on 5/5/2006 8:37:30 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
Of course I don't have a lot of respect for a company who buys a T1.


You're uninformed about how things actually work.


By rushfan2006 on 5/5/2006 11:59:35 AM , Rating: 2
Well if "real phone companies" provided REAL service maybe the VoIP market wouldn't being on fire right now. ;)

Cable Companies and Phone Companies = most unprofessional, slowest responding, ill-informed, poor excuses for customer service on the planet.



By Scorpion on 5/5/2006 2:10:41 PM , Rating: 2
In a way he's right. The phone companies have been continually screwed by the laws in this country, whereas cable companies seem to get a more lenient treatment, and I blame a lot of the legislation against them for their shortcomings.

Ma Bell invested the money to bury all of those cables in the ground to give you a damn phone. Then the government stepped in and told them that they had to share those lines with anyone who wanted to compete against them.

Then this just within the last year: "The Supreme Court ruled Monday that cable companies are not required to share their high-speed Internet broadband networks with rivals. The decision will likely have a major impact on how consumers get their Internet access." Seems the same rules don't apply to cable companies, how fortunate for them.

I don't think they should give that power to the phone companies, but instead take it back away from the cable companies and make them share. Otherwise it's going to completely stiffle the internet.


1984
By SMOGZINN on 5/5/2006 3:32:20 PM , Rating: 4
When did it become the governments right to spy on us, and when did we become so apathetic that they can make it a news headline and all we talk about is how much it will cost?




RE: 1984
By Jackyl on 5/5/2006 4:53:08 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
When did it become the governments right to spy on us

That's what I'd like to know. Nothing here in USA is never voted on anymore. People can't vote for these issues. All we see are bills passed into law, without the public having their say.


RE: 1984
By jconan on 5/6/2006 1:22:49 AM , Rating: 2
double standards: us is anti-china on their spying policy on its own citizens but okay for us to spy on americans? talk about legit... almost anti constitutional similar against the right to bear arms or public speech since the courts back apple against journalist privileges. looks like this administration is heading somewhere on its hidden agenda probably to strike out against free speech and its corrupted politics like barring voters to vote for the other party during the bush campaign??


RE: 1984
By Tedtalker1 on 5/6/2006 3:04:04 AM , Rating: 2
The Regular telecos have had the tapping capability for many many years.The Gov just wants the same for the newest technology.If they want to use a tap for an investigation they want to have the same access rights for all telephony.Nothing new at all.


Consumers Will Pay
By TomZ on 5/5/2006 9:31:00 AM , Rating: 3
quote:
The companies will be required to pay for all modifications themselves.

Companies will obviously pass these costs through to customers. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, but let's not start feeling sorry for the companies because they have this unfair financial burden.




"The Space Elevator will be built about 50 years after everyone stops laughing" -- Sir Arthur C. Clarke









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