Decius wrote:
] ] FCC Chairman Michael Powell has indicated that he would
] ] like to move more Internet access services into the
] ] category of "information services," which have fewer
] ] regulations and likely would not be subject to CALEA.
] ] That alarms DSL providers such as EarthLink, which fear
] ] that deregulation means that former Baby Bells such as
] ] Verizon and BellSouth will raise their rates for access
] ] to the copper wire that runs to telephone subscribers'
] ] homes.
]
] As CALEA was originally written, it would have required anyone
] building any kind of network to provide the FBI with access at
] the location of the FBI's choice. I.E. run a cable between two
] computers in your house, and you'll have to run a third cable
] to Kansas for the FBI. And, as originally written, you pick up
] the tab for it.
]
] Well, the phone companies managed to get the feds to agree to
] pick up the tab, and the EFF managed to get the law to only
] apply to telecom services and not information services. Of,
] course, the EFF did this by agreeing to support the law if it
] only applied to telecom. This was the endorsement the FBI
] needed to get the law passed, and the internet community was
] very unhappy with this compromise. The result was that the EFF
] split in two. Part of it (the anti-compromise piece) retained
] the name EFF and moved to San Francisco (it was felt that
] actually living in Washington had corrupted them), the other
] part (pro-compromise) stayed in Washington and became known as
] the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT).
]
] Now, the impracticalities of connecting small computer
] networks to some sort of central monitoring center aside, when
] I, and I think most people, read the resulting compromise, it
] was clear that CALEA applied to POTS telephone service and
] that is all.
]
] While it was inevitable that this would come up again,
] additional Congressional action is required. The way that they
] are attempting to avoid this oversight by confusing the issue
] with that of telecom competition is clearly dishonest, and I
] am very disappointed to see Earthlink, of all companies,
] gleefully jumping on the bandwagon.

There's definitely more to it. CALEA is just caught in the crossfire of the info services vs telecom services battle. This battle is being waged in the overall telecom competition battle, of which the consumer is losing a great deal right now. If things like data services and internet access are made to be telecom services, then all hell will break loose. Earthlink is just using CALEA as leverage. That seems overly desperate to me, but might be their only choice.

flynn23 wrote:
]
] There's definitely more to it. CALEA is just caught in the
] crossfire of the info services vs telecom services battle.
] This battle is being waged in the overall telecom competition
] battle, of which the consumer is losing a great deal right
] now. If things like data services and internet access are made
] to be telecom services, then all hell will break loose.
] Earthlink is just using CALEA as leverage. That seems overly
] desperate to me, but might be their only choice.

What kind of hell? Is there a good place to follow this?

Tom

Decius wrote:
] flynn23 wrote:
] ]
] ] There's definitely more to it. CALEA is just caught in the
] ] crossfire of the info services vs telecom services battle.
] ] This battle is being waged in the overall telecom
] competition
] ] battle, of which the consumer is losing a great deal right
] ] now. If things like data services and internet access are
] made
] ] to be telecom services, then all hell will break loose.
] ] Earthlink is just using CALEA as leverage. That seems overly
]
] ] desperate to me, but might be their only choice.
]
] What kind of hell? Is there a good place to follow this?

there is not a good place to follow this, at least none that I am aware of. The kind of hell I'm describing is creeping up on us anyways. Notice your cable, cell, and home telephone bills going up? Notice less choice of ISP? Notice customer service for any of these services sucks ass? Notice the US's pre-occupation with eliminating telecom competition in Iraq? It's only going to get worse.

If data services are labels as telecom services then things like the SDMCA laws, privacy concerns, frivilous litigation, monopoly control, internet taxes... all of that massively shifts to the 'dark side'. Because essentially what we are saying is that data services need to be REGULATED. Which means they will be taxed, and controlled by already established regulated bodies.