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ARTICLE · 18 JANUARY 2006

Communications Article: Application of CALEA to Cable Operators: Current Issues and Status of FCC Rulemaking

Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C.
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Cable operators that provide broadband Internet services or voice over Internet protocol ("VoIP") services to their subscribers are required by a recent Federal Communications Commission ("FCC" or "Commission") to comply with the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act ("CALEA"), which compels carriers to provide assistance to law enforcement authorities to obtain access to communications that may be part of an ongoing investigation.

United StatesMedia, Telecoms, IT, Entertainment
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Article by Chérie R. Kiser * & Ernest C. Cooper **

Originally published 15 December 2005

Cable operators that provide broadband Internet services or voice over Internet protocol ("VoIP") services to their subscribers are required by a recent Federal Communications Commission ("FCC" or "Commission") to comply with the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act ("CALEA"), which compels carriers to provide assistance to law enforcement authorities to obtain access to communications that may be part of an ongoing investigation. Assistance is required in the forms of both cooperation and system capability. The FCC’s application of CALEA to broadband Internet services is being challenged in federal court. Even if CALEA applicability to broadband is upheld, there are a number of questions and issues about application of CALEA that remain to be resolved by the FCC and the industry.

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