Laws: Cases and Codes : U.S. Code : Title 47 : Section 1002


   
U.S. Code as of: 01/19/04
Section 1002. Assistance capability requirements

    (a) Capability requirements
      Except as provided in subsections (b), (c), and (d) of this
    section and sections 1007(a) and 1008(b) and (d) of this title, 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), 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 subchapter 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) of this section 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 and section
    1805(e) (!1) of title 50), a carrier at its discretion may comply
    with subsection (a)(3) of this section 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 this title)
    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.



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