Court Skeptical of FCC on Broadband Wiretap Access

COURT SKEPTICAL OF FCC ON BROADBAND WIRETAP ACCESS
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Peter Kaplan]
On Friday the Federal Communications Commission faced tough questioning from a federal appeals court about whether the government can force broadband Internet service providers to give law enforcement authorities access for surveillance purposes. One of the three judges hearing the case called the government's rationale for the surveillance requirement "gobbledygook," and another also expressed reservations. "This is totally ridiculous. I can't believe you're making this argument," Judge Harry Edwards told a FCC lawyer. The issue before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia is a decision by the FCC in August requiring facilities-based broadband providers and those that offer Internet telephone service to comply with U.S. wiretap laws. The FCC has set a May 14, 2007 deadline for compliance.
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=technologyNews&story...

* Appeals court takes dim view of Net-tapping rules
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