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Enhanced In-Air Internet Surveillance Sought
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But the petition for in-flight rules goes well beyond the provisions in that 1994 law.
For example, Internet providers currently are not required to capture and store logs of Internet communications on their networks, which can carry hundreds of millions of e-mails per day.
Dempsey said the proposals -- such as the ability to disable the Internet use of some passengers while maintaining it for law enforcement or airline personnel on a plane -- amount to government-mandated design of the technology.
And if the proposals are approved, he said, he would expect law enforcement to argue that the same capabilities are needed on land.
A spokesman for the Justice Department said the agencies would not comment on the proposals pending congressional testimony scheduled for tomorrow by Deputy Assistant Attorney General Laura H. Parsky.
The business of providing Internet service on airplanes is just taking shape. Boeing Co. is the largest worldwide provider, but competitors are beginning to emerge, with Europe's Airbus SAS and Germany's Siemens AG announcing a partnership this week to create a similar service.
Boeing will abide by any government rules, company spokesman Terrance Scott said. But he added that the company questions whether the FCC's technical review of satellite services is the proper venue for examining surveillance rules, rather than Congress or the courts.
He said Boeing is still evaluating how much it would cost to comply with the proposed rules as well as the impact on the airlines and customers. Expense remains an issue for many U.S. carriers in deciding whether to offer the service, Scott said. The airlines split installation costs with Boeing and then share in revenues.
The Boeing Connexion service currently ranges in price from $9.95 for one hour to $29.95 for flights longer than six hours, Scott said. Customers sign on to and use the system in much the same way as commercial services provided at outdoor cafes, in airline terminals or other wireless "hot spots."
Much of the world is covered by satellites that transmit the signals, although some areas such as Australia and the South Pacific lag behind.
To date, Scott said, the service is not profitable.
