Frank can speak for himself, but IMO CALEA is a pain in the rear for every service provider. It is not, and was not, optional. What Wispa did was give operators (members or not) the ability to comply with the law without spending fortunes to do it. You don't need a TTP and you don't need a $100K mediation box. ImageStream and Mikrotik both will support the new standard, so if you have one of those vendors all you will need is a collection server (and some expertise from the manufacturer or consultant).
Wispa also was able to get a year grace (from May 2008) for WISPs who cannot comply because of network design. IIRC, you are in that boat. In short, you don't have to like CALEA (it's way less onerous and intrusive than Carnvore), but it is a fact of life. Another fact...whether or not you ever give a dime to Wispa they have helped you immensely. The CALEA committee put in countless hours to get this done. Join or don't, but don't say that there is no value in membership. CALEA is just one reason. Jeff -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, July 13, 2008 2:04 AM To: WISPA General List Subject: Re: [WISPA] Topic change - Trade Association Was: Report:FCCtoPunishComcast Over Web Blocking ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ <insert witty tagline here> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Frank Muto" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "WISPA General List" <wireless@wispa.org> Sent: Saturday, July 12, 2008 9:06 PM Subject: Re: [WISPA] Topic change - Trade Association Was: Report: FCCtoPunishComcast Over Web Blocking > You don't get it. CALEA was a good thing for WISPA and its members. No, of course I don't get "it". This has got to be one of the dumbest thing I have ever heard in my life. I can find NO benefit to it of ANY kind. Nor has anyone I know of explained a single "benefit", ever. It is a mandate on how a network must function, a limitation to equipment, software, topology, and redundancy, and an absurd notion in the first place. It is a direct requirement to dumb-down and overbuild bandwidth, with NO return of ANY kind, financial or otherwise. "A good thing?" Obviously, you're in the camp that expecting to get money ripped out of someone else's pockets and headed your way. Or, just try to explain it. Nobody has till now. They make the statement, but the logic used is an insult to our intelligence. You need to understand that you pick the battles you feel > you can win. WISPA has gained a good amount of respect from the FCC, but > this is only one of many battle fronts WISP's are up > against. "Gained respect"? Please. This is imaginary nonsense. We're forgotten faster than styrofoam cup in a hurricane. We haven't got the millions to bribe them with, so there is no amount of "positive" influence we can have. > > The FIGHT for US battle cry you comment on takes money, time and a good > amount off leg work to make things work. No kidding. I agree entirely. But when people start the comments like "CALEA is good for us", whatever agenda they have in mind is NOT the well being of WISP's, but some kind of other agenda. You are > dealing with a bureau that has many different levels of staffing, it can > take weeks to know who to talk to, when and if they > will talk to you, will it be ex-parte or not, etc, etc, etc. Like any other organization. > > Understand that the RBOCs and other companies are clamoring for the eyes > and ears of those a the FCC, as WISPs need to get > to.The fight is not only on the federal level, but also at the state and > local levels as well. I'm still not sure exactly what your point is here. I understand the need to talk to all levels of government, but if we're going to take the mindset that all mandates and rules are Holy and Untouchable, then what is the point? 95% of what WISPA should be doing should be DEFENSIVE from an overreaching government agency of some kind. And it seems the present leadership has absolutely NO interest in defense at all, just playing "looky, I got to talk to the Holy Ones in DC" game, some kind of hat in hand subservence... ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- WISPA Wants You! Join today! http://signup.wispa.org/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- WISPA Wireless List: wireless@wispa.org Subscribe/Unsubscribe: http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WISPA Wants You! Join today! http://signup.wispa.org/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WISPA Wireless List: wireless@wispa.org Subscribe/Unsubscribe: http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless Archives: http://lists.wispa.org/pipermail/wireless/
