Cops Weigh in on Calea

The Fraternal Order of Police is urging the U.S. House of Representatives to pass legislation that would require colleges and commercial Internet providers to redesign their networks so law enforcement officials could more easily eavesdrop on Internet-based phone conversations. Last week, Chuck Canterbury, national president of the police group, wrote a letter to House Speaker. J. Dennis Hastert, saying that he was worried by the statements of some federal appeals court judges earlier this month (The Chronicle, May 8) during oral arguments in American Council on Education, et al., v. Federal Communications Commission and United States of America. In the case, college and public interest groups are accusing the FCC of misreading the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act, or Calea, when the agency issued a regulation requiring Internet providers to reengineer their networks to meet the government’s surveillance needs. Mr. Canterbury told Representative Hastert that the judges appeared confused about whether Calea applied to phone calls made over the Internet. And he urged the congressman to clear up the confusion by amending  a controversial telecommunications bill to state that Calea does apply to this service. The bill, HR.5252, cleared the House Committee on Energy and Commerce in April, and may be debated by the House Committee on the Judiciary. "Congress must have an opportunity to consider and address these uncertainties by amending Calea to ensure that Voice over Internet protocol does not become a communications medium beyond the reach of law enforcement," the letter read.