News for and about the Internet2 community

["Michelle Pollak" <>]

INTERNET2 JOINS COALITION RESPONSE OPPOSING JOINT DOJ, FBI AND DEA EFFORT TO
EXTEND WIRETAP LAW TO INTERNET PROVIDERS

WASHINGTON, D.C. - April 13, 2004 - Internet2(R) today announced that it has
joined a coalition of higher education and library associations to file a
comment with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) opposing a joint
attempt by the Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to bring all access to
the Internet within the scope of the Communications Assistance for Law
Enforcement Act (CALEA).  The current CALEA legislation gives law
enforcement agencies access to communications traffic under specific legal
conditions and constraints.

The comment filed with the FCC argues that Congress's intent was clear in
the original CALEA legislation that Internet access messaging and other
information services were to be exempt from provisions of the Act and that
the effort to extend the law to Internet providers oversteps those
provisions.  The coalition acknowledges the "need for timely revision to
traditional telephony access procedures as the underlying communications
technology changes," and asks the FCC to consider three areas of negative
impact that the proposed expansion would have on the higher education and
library communities, including:

- The inhibition of innovation;
- The compromise of privacy; and
- The costliness of the revisions at a time when budgets are already under
large stress.

"Taking the legitimate efforts by the Department of Justice, the FBI and the
DEA into account, we strongly believe that the requirements imposed by CALEA
would inhibit the development, deployment, and use of innovative Internet
applications," said Gary Bachula, Internet2 vice president for external
relations.  "We must underscore the deep negative impact that regulations
such as CALEA will have to the Internet and innovation.  We support and
believe that the full participation of Congress and the technology
community, not just the FCC, is required to develop an appropriate and
adequate resolution."

Members of the coalition include the American Association of Community
Colleges; the American Association of State Colleges and Universities; the
American Association of University Professors; the American Library
Association; the American Council on Education; the Association of American
Universities; the Association of College and Research Universities; the
Association for Communications Technology Professionals; the Association of
Research Libraries; EDUCAUSE; Internet2; the National Association of State
Universities and Land Grant Colleges; and the National Association of
College and University Business Officers.

The complete comment filed with the FCC by the coalition is available at
http://www.internet2.edu/pubs/20040413-Comments-CALEA.pdf.

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About Internet2(R)
Led by more than 200 U.S. universities, working with industry and
government, Internet2 develops and deploys advanced network applications and
technologies for research and higher education, accelerating the creation of
tomorrow's Internet. Internet2 recreates the partnerships among academia,
industry, and government that helped foster today's Internet in its infancy.
For more information about Internet2, visit: http://www.internet2.edu/.

CONTACT:
Michelle Pollak
Internet2
(202) 331-5345