CALEA

[Michelle]

So. My new directive handed down to me today by the CIO.

We need to be compliant based on the new CALEA standards in light of where I work and what I do.

Fine and good. I'm on board. The problem? We are dealing with the issues of current standards and protocol being skirted by IP voice over data comms and various other technologies that now fall outside the realm of "telecom". So now it's "my baby".

Problem: No one has set the standard of what compliance will be. The only distant murmur is that we may have to replace our entire network infrastructure in order to allow requisit access for CALEA directives.

Anyone know anything about this? What an incredible burden for us from a monetary POV if that is what we are left with. And how can we be in compliance when compliance has not yet been solidly deemed? New delineations just passed in September... and yet I've got to be up to spec by February. Up to spec to a non-disclosed spec.

Excellent. I love a challenge, but this one seems doomed to fail. Anyone privy to anything I haven't yet dug up? Calling out to all suits, spooks, and the average Joe that is a heck-of-a-lot smarter than me.

TIA

m1

[Roguish Lawyer]

Go to an industry conference and talk with everyone on the elevator, in-between sessions, etc.

I'm willing to bet that you've done this. More than once. ;)

[ghuinness]

m1

Three places I would start to get info and other contacts:
- Contact the FCC with specific questions
- if your organization is not a member of TIA I would suggest joining.
- Check the IETF working groups

my .02

[Michelle]

Ms. Michelle,

Look for companies in the same industry under similar cost constraints, business model, and IT infrastructure, who are attempting to do the same thing.

Talk with the person in your exact position (who 12 months ago was given the same directive) about what they had to do in order to call themselves compliant or get on the path to that.

Fastest way to do this:
1) Calling people quoted in the rags on the topic or the people who run their forums: https://sw.askcalea.net/
2) Go to an industry conference and talk with everyone on the elevator, in-between sessions, etc.

From that, get a budget, multiple by 1.6, divide by your annual burden rate, and tell the person who gave you the directive that
1) this is how many people he has to lay off in order to get the project done at flat run rate (and remind him of the laws in your state requiring public advance notice of a layoff)
2) ask if the Board of Directors needs to be informed of a project of this cost and impact

The above is a good path to take if you feel it's the right decision.

FrontSight

Thanks Sister. Actually we did that... we infiltrated Educause Conference 2 weeks ago. EVERYONE is clueless... they keep looking to us because we are considered "on the bleeding edge" in our industry/genre. Thanks for the forum link... I hadn't found that in my googling. Also thanks for the budget advice. As an educational institution, I don't need to tell how that is just not going to fly, eh?

Ghuinness... [I keep wanting to misspell your name because it is so close to my favorite beer ;)], thanks for the pointers. Contacting the FCC is laborious at best, but would be a good avenue.

Thanks for the tips Girl and Guy.

m1

[ghuinness]

m1

You may have already gone down this path, but have you looked at MGCP?

I don't know where you, meaning your company/vendor, sit in the network. This may be an option.

(not the most current).

http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc3435.txt
http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2705.txt

Tekelec has some new hardware and you may want to run a search on MGCP, CALEA (there is some middle ware software available ...can't speak for the vendors).

HTH