Is The FCC Contradicting Itself With Degregulation And Wiretapping?
from the maybe,-maybe-not... dept
Following the FCC's ruling to deregulate DSL it also made it clear that it plans to require many VoIP providers and potentially broadband providers to allow for easy wire tapping, forcing them under CALEA, the wiretapping law. This certainly fits with the FCC's new principles where law enforcement has total control over everything. However, it has some wondering if the FCC is contradicting itself (the term schizophrenic is misused by Declan McCullough), by deregulating one area while increasing regulations in another. In fact, he notes that in order for broadband to be covered under CALEA, it clearly needs to be a "telecom service," which is exactly what the FCC just said it wasn't in getting it out from under old telecom rules. The reality is, however, that the FCC is following its new principles exactly. The pecking order is clearly stated: law enforcement has the most rights, network providers are second, and "everyone else" is last. So, regulation is okay for law enforcement to be allowed in. Deregulation on line sharing helps out the network providers, and the rest of us get to beg for scraps.
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