PointMan

Get off yer butts. Begin planning and executing prevention and/or
reaction exercises. If you haven't *personally* been involved in an
exercise, pound the table until you get one. Don't be deterred by
rebuffs that sound like "the techno-geeks have it under control".
That's a good way to lose documentation on one-, five- and
ten-year projects about which your systems people may know
*absolutely nothing*. The following applies to both *personal* and
professional environments and affairs.

Mil Spec

Remember all those special little files on your hard disk? Lose 'em
or back 'em up on external media - floppy, external hard drive (our
preference), read/write cd, zip, jazz... whatever.

Cop Spec

Start deciding your location preference for posting during traffic
signal glitches, accidents, and jam-ups at exit ramps; and identify
an alternate/backup com system/mechanism for the event of car
radio malfunctions. DO NOT wait for the boss to let you know
you'll have to check in with farmer Bob and his ham radio set to
exchange messages during incidents, recoveries... and your wife
while she's giving birth in a taxi stuck in traffic.

Home Spec

Give some thought to a generator or two, with a venting system
that you can fabricate out of common materials, all of which are
available at hardware stores and chain-store lumber marts.

BlueLight / APB

Don't wait for this bug to bite you. Its going to hit all of us in
varying ways and degrees. Get down to brass tacks in discussing
and preparing for it both at home and at work.

16 July 98
Communications Assistance For Law Enforcement Act (CALEA)

Bullet

This act requires the nation's telecom community, a cute phrase
referring to a ba-zillion post telecom de-regulation firms, to
incorporate wiretapping/signal-tracing/tracking capacity into the
domestic communication infrastructure. Compliance is required
by October 98, or October 2000 depending on what version of
the legislation and amendments are favored this week.

Conceptually at least, this is part of the Clipper Initiative, referring
to the Clipper (for voice) and Capstone (for data) encryption keys.
This would require eavesdropping chips to be embedded in nearly
every electronic signals device, including pagers, cell phones,
walkie-talkies, hard-wired phones, faxes, and "personal commun-
ications" devices now gaining popularity.

Background

CALEA
47 U.S.C. 1001
http://thomas.loc.gov/

CALEA Implementation Amendments of 1998
HR 3321 IH / 105th CONGRESS / 2d Session / 4 March 98
http://thomas.loc.gov/

DOJ CALEA Web Page
http://pi.host.net/calea/calea1.htm

Industry Testimony on Compliance Obstacles
House Subcommittee on Crime / 23 October 1997
http://www.pcia.com/test2.htm

Related Subject Matter

Expanding sat com systems broaden the potential scope of
commo-related opportunity:

Intelsat system

in place

Irridium Motorola system

66 units in place

Teledesic system (MicroSquat/Bill Gates joint venture)

300- to 400-unit system to begin operating 2001 or 2002

Test sat unit launched 2/98

Forte system (sic)

You know who you are

PointMan

Estimate Your Comm Issues for Op Plans, Investigations, Interdictions,
Incident Reaction & Recovery