Standards Reference Page for the USA Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act of 1994

1. Relevant provisions in the Act relating to LI standards

Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act of 1994, Pub. L. No. 103-414, 108 Stat. 4279.

TITLE I--INTERCEPTION OF DIGITAL AND OTHER COMMUNICATIONS

SEC. 107. TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS AND STANDARDS; EXTENSION OF COMPLIANCE DATE.

(a) SAFE HARBOR-

(1) CONSULTATION- To ensure the efficient and industry-wide implementation of the assistance capability requirements under section 103, the Attorney General, in coordination with other Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies, shall consult with appropriate associations and standard-setting organizations of the telecommunications industry, with representatives of users of telecommunications equipment, facilities, and services, and with State utility commissions.

(2) COMPLIANCE UNDER ACCEPTED STANDARDS- A telecommunications carrier shall be found to be in compliance with the assistance capability requirements under section 103, and a manufacturer of telecommunications transmission or switching equipment or a provider of telecommunications support services shall be found to be in compliance with section 106, if the carrier, manufacturer, or support service provider is in compliance with publicly available technical requirements or standards adopted by an industry association or standard-setting organization, or by the Commission under subsection (b), to meet the requirements of section 103.

(3) ABSENCE OF STANDARDS- The absence of technical requirements or standards for implementing the assistance capability requirements of section 103 shall not--

(A) preclude a telecommunications carrier, manufacturer, or telecommunications support services provider from deploying a technology or service; or

(B) relieve a carrier, manufacturer, or telecommunications support services provider of the obligations imposed by section 103 or 106, as applicable.

(b) COMMISSION AUTHORITY- If industry associations or standard-setting organizations fail to issue technical requirements or standards or if a Government agency or any other person believes that such requirements or standards are deficient, the agency or person may petition the Commission to establish, by rule, technical requirements or standards that--

(1) meet the assistance capability requirements of section 103 by cost-effective methods;

(2) protect the privacy and security of communications not authorized to be intercepted;

(3) minimize the cost of such compliance on residential ratepayers;

(4) serve the policy of the United States to encourage the provision of new technologies and services to the public; and

(5) provide a reasonable time and conditions for compliance with and the transition to any new standard, including defining the obligations of telecommunications carriers under section 103 during any transition period.

 

SEC. 103. ASSISTANCE CAPABILITY REQUIREMENTS.

(a) CAPABILITY REQUIREMENTS- Except as provided in subsections (b), (c), and (d) of this section and sections 108(a) and 109(b) and (d), a telecommunications carrier shall ensure that its equipment, facilities, or services that provide a customer or subscriber with the ability to originate, terminate, or direct communications are capable of--

(1) expeditiously isolating and enabling the government, pursuant to a court order or other lawful authorization, to intercept, to the exclusion of any other communications, all wire and electronic communications carried by the carrier within a service area to or from equipment, facilities, or services of a subscriber of such carrier concurrently with their transmission to or from the subscriber's equipment, facility, or service, or at such later time as may be acceptable to the government;

(2) expeditiously isolating and enabling the government, pursuant to a court order or other lawful authorization, to access call-identifying information that is reasonably available to the carrier--

(A) before, during, or immediately after the transmission of a wire or electronic communication (or at such later time as may be acceptable to the government); and

(B) in a manner that allows it to be associated with the communication to which it pertains, except that, with regard to information acquired solely pursuant to the authority for pen registers and trap and trace devices (as defined in section 3127 of title 18, United States Code), such call-identifying information shall not include any information that may disclose the physical location of the subscriber (except to the extent that the location may be determined from the telephone number);

(3) delivering intercepted communications and call-identifying information to the government, pursuant to a court order or other lawful authorization, in a format such that they may be transmitted by means of equipment, facilities, or services procured by the government to a location other than the premises of the carrier; and

(4) facilitating authorized communications interceptions and access to call-identifying information unobtrusively and with a minimum of interference with any subscriber's telecommunications service and in a manner that protects--

(A) the privacy and security of communications and call-identifying information not authorized to be intercepted; and

(B) information regarding the government's interception of communications and access to call-identifying information.

(b) LIMITATIONS-

(1) DESIGN OF FEATURES AND SYSTEMS CONFIGURATIONS- This title does not authorize any law enforcement agency or officer--

(A) to require any specific design of equipment, facilities, services, features, or system configurations to be adopted by any provider of a wire or electronic communication service, any manufacturer of telecommunications equipment, or any provider of telecommunications support services; or
(B) to prohibit the adoption of any equipment, facility, service, or feature by any provider of a wire or electronic communication service, any manufacturer of telecommunications equipment, or any provider of telecommunications support services.

(2) INFORMATION SERVICES; PRIVATE NETWORKS AND INTERCONNECTION SERVICES AND FACILITIES- The requirements of subsection (a) do not apply to--

(A) information services; or

(B) equipment, facilities, or services that support the transport or switching of communications for private networks or for the sole purpose of interconnecting telecommunications carriers.

(3) ENCRYPTION- A telecommunications carrier shall not be responsible for decrypting, or ensuring the government's ability to decrypt, any communication encrypted by a subscriber or customer, unless the encryption was provided by the carrier and the carrier possesses the information necessary to decrypt the communication.

(c) EMERGENCY OR EXIGENT CIRCUMSTANCES- In emergency or exigent circumstances (including those described in sections 2518 (7) or (11)(b) and 3125 of title 18, United States Code, and section 1805(e) of title 50 of such Code), a carrier at its discretion may comply with subsection (a)(3) by allowing monitoring at its premises if that is the only means of accomplishing the interception or access.

(d) MOBILE SERVICE ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS- A telecommunications carrier that is a provider of commercial mobile service (as defined in section 332(d) of the Communications Act of 1934) offering a feature or service that allows subscribers to redirect, hand off, or assign their wire or electronic communications to another service area or another service provider or to utilize facilities in another service area or of another service provider shall ensure that, when the carrier that had been providing assistance for the interception of wire or electronic communications or access to call-identifying information pursuant to a court order or lawful authorization no longer has access to the content of such communications or call-identifying information within the service area in which interception has been occurring as a result of the subscriber's use of such a feature or service, information is made available to the government (before, during, or immediately after the transfer of such communications) identifying the provider of a wire or electronic communication service that has acquired access to the communications.

SEC. 106. COOPERATION OF EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURERS AND PROVIDERS OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS SUPPORT SERVICES.

(a) CONSULTATION- A telecommunications carrier shall consult, as necessary, in a timely fashion with manufacturers of its telecommunications transmission and switching equipment and its providers of telecommunications support services for the purpose of ensuring that current and planned equipment, facilities, and services comply with the capability requirements of section 103 and the capacity requirements identified by the Attorney General under section 104.

(b) COOPERATION- Subject to sections 104(e), 108(a), and 109 (b) and (d), a manufacturer of telecommunications transmission or switching equipment and a provider of telecommunications support services shall, on a reasonably timely basis and at a reasonable charge, make available to the telecommunications carriers using its equipment, facilities, or services such features or modifications as are necessary to permit such carriers to comply with the capability requirements of section 103 and the capacity requirements identified by the Attorney General under section 104.

 

2. Relevant provisions in the Code of Federal Regulations relating to LI standards

Title 47 - TELECOMMUNICATIONS

PART 22 - MOBILE SERVICES

Subpart J - Required New Capabilities Pursuant to the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA)

22.1102 Definitions.

J-STD-025. The interim standard developed by the Telecommunications Industry Association and the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions for wireline, cellular, and broadband PCS carriers. This standard defines services and features to support lawfully authorized electronic surveillance, and specifies interfaces necessary to deliver intercepted communications and call-identifying information to a LEA.

22.1103 Capabilities that must be provided by a cellular telecommunications carrier.

(a) Except as provided under paragraph (b) of this section, as of June 30, 2000, a cellular telecommunications carrier shall provide to a LEA the assistance capability requirements of CALEA, see 47 U.S.C. 1002. A carrier may satisfy these requirements by complying with publicly available technical requirements or standards adopted by an industry association or standard-setting organization, such as J-STD-025.

PART 24-PERSONAL COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES

Subpart J - Required New Capabilities Pursuant to the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA)

24.902 Definitions.

J- STD- 025. The interim standard developed by the Telecommunications Industry Association and the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions for wireline, cellular, and broadband PCS carriers. This standard defines services and features to support lawfully authorized electronic surveillance, and specifies interfaces necessary to deliver intercepted communications and call-identifying information to a LEA.

24.903 Capabilities that must be provided by a broadband PCS telecommunications carrier.

(a) Except as provided under paragraph (b) of this section, as of June 30, 2000, a broadband PCS telecommunications carrier shall provide to a LEA the assistance capability requirements of CALEA, see 47 U.S.C. 1002. A carrier may satisfy these requirements by complying with publicly available technical requirements or standards adopted by an industry association or standard-setting organization, such as J-STD-025.

PART 64-MISCELLANEOUS RULES RELATING TO COMMON CARRIERS

Subpart W - Required New Capabilities Pursuant to the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA)

64.2202 Definitions.

J-STD-025. The interim standard developed by the Telecommunications Industry Association and the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions for wireline, cellular, and broadband PCS carriers. This standard defines services and features to support lawfully authorized electronic surveillance, and specifies interfaces necessary to deliver intercepted communications and call-identifying information to a LEA.

64.2203 Capabilities that must be provided by a wireline telecommunications carrier.

(a) Except as provided under paragraph (b) of this section, as of June 30, 2000, a wireline telecommunications carrier shall provide to a LEA the assistance capability requirements of CALEA, see 47 U.S.C. 1002. A carrier may satisfy these requirements by complying with publicly available technical requirements or standards adopted by an industry association or standard-setting organization, such as J-STD-025.
 

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