In releasing the rules, the FCC opened up a 30-day public comment period. The regulations, which are planned for implementation in 2007, were decided upon in the beginning of August and made public Friday without a news release or other announcement.

Opponents of the proposed rules argue that the "backdoor" requirements pose the opportunity for privacy rights violations and will be prohibitively expensive for companies and the consumers they will ultimately pass the cost along to. In addition, Internet phone companies allege that the FCC rules are designed to prop up faltering traditional telephone companies, which are losing ground in competition with the relatively versatile and inexpensive VoIP services.

In a statement yesterday, Electronic Freedom Foundation attorney Kurt Opsahl said that "a tech mandate requiring backdoors in the Internet endangers the privacy of innocent people, stifles innovation and risks the Internet as a forum for free and open expression."

Opsahl's organization is a nonprofit electronic privacy advocate that has grown vocal in opposition to increasing government regulation of electronic communications in recent years. The Electronic Freedom Foundation is considering a court challenge to the FCC's proposed rules, the statement noted.

In a related resolution made public Friday, the FCC agreed to incorporate four new principles into its mission, including a deferential guideline stating that "consumers are entitled to run applications and use services of their choice, subject to the needs of law enforcement." Commission members did not expand on the intent of the statement included in the three-page decision.