Dear Senator Kennedy

This coming Tuesday, 20 July, the Commerce Committee will consider S.2281,
a bill that would clarify the jurisdictional and regulatory treatment of
Internet telephony.  Several senators are planning to introduce amendments to
this bill that would require that voice-over-IP telephone service provide a
built-in capability for the government to monitor conversations.  This ability
would be similar to that imposed on traditional telephone services by the
Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act of 1994 (CALEA).

When CALEA was enacted, Congress explicitly excluded the Internet from the
scope of its mandates.  The capabilities demanded by CALEA have been costly
to implement, and the privacy ramifications are particularly dangerous in
the wake of the USA PATRIOT Act which has scaled back judicial oversight on
wiretapping.  Extending CALEA-style requirements to the nascent voice-over-IP
telephony market would stifle innovation and violate privacy.

Again, I urge you to oppose amendments to S.2281 that would CALEA-style
wiretapping capability to be built into Internet telephone services.  I look
forward to hearing your thoughts on this important issue.

Sincerely

Matthew Belmonte