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U.S. Court of Appeal Rules in Favor of VoIP Wiretapping

7:30 am on June 13, 2006 | Category: Law, Regulation, Telecom Services, Telephone, VoIP

In what could be a major blow to user privacy, a U.S. Appeals Court has ruled that VoIP and digital phone providers like Vonage and Comcast, are covered by the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act, and must allow for wiretapping of IP voice communications.

“CALEA expressly provides that the commission may extend the definition of a telecommunications carrier,” Judge David Sentelle explained. “Accordingly, we deny the petition for review.”

The ruling was passed in a 2-to-1 vote, and upholds the FCCâ€™s decision that VoIP providers be treated in the same way as traditional telecom. This is just part of the regulatory agencyâ€™s attempts to regulate digital voice technology be subjecting it to a wide range of taxes and restrictions.

In a victory for The American Council on Education, however, the court confirmed that private IP networks, including those operated by universities, will remain exempt from CALEA.

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