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> Levinson/Lavasoft stated that they would provide that pen register information for a development fee of some $2,000-$3,500. (Note: Verizon's price list says t

> Levinson/Lavasoft stated that they would provide that pen register information for a development fee of some $2,000-$3,500. (Note: Verizon's price list says they charge about $700 for access to that data.) plus > The government refused to pay, saying that they were not aware of paying anyone else for pen trap data So the government is not aware of paying anyone, despite Verizon having a (semi)public price list?

dalke 13y ago
I had the same thought. But note that one is a development fee and the other is a service fee.
- malandrew 13y ago
  And one involves a developer who is likely of a much higher technical ability. Given his technical ability, Levinson's hourly rate is probably several times higher than the rate for the Verizon employee that would be assigned to do the work. It's not like a manager would authorize putting their best and brightest to do work that does not generate revenue.
  - dalke 13y ago
    I take it you didn't read the PDF? Levinson also gave a time estimate of "between 20 to 40 hours" (p114), which works out to $40 to $80 per hour. Let's call it $50 for the ease of comparison. This is an entirely reasonable hourly fee. Verizon quoted a $50 court processing fee, which almost certainly takes less than 1 hour to do. It charges a $50 activation fee, which can't reasonably take 1 hour, and $10/day pen tap fee, and I doubt a Verizon employee is spending more than 12 minutes per day per pen tap. In other words, those documents show that Verizon is almost certainly charging more per unit time than Lavasoft would, and definitely not "several times" lower than Levinson.
    - malandrew 13y ago
      No I did not. This PDF and the White House NSA recommendations I have on my todo list for after the 25th of the month. Unfortunately, right now I cannot find the time to read anything this long. That being said, thanks for the clarification and specific relevant facts from the PDF.

dalke 13y ago

I had the same thought. But note that one is a development fee and the other is a service fee.

malandrew 13y ago
And one involves a developer who is likely of a much higher technical ability. Given his technical ability, Levinson's hourly rate is probably several times higher than the rate for the Verizon employee that would be assigned to do the work. It's not like a manager would authorize putting their best and brightest to do work that does not generate revenue.
- dalke 13y ago
  I take it you didn't read the PDF? Levinson also gave a time estimate of "between 20 to 40 hours" (p114), which works out to $40 to $80 per hour. Let's call it $50 for the ease of comparison. This is an entirely reasonable hourly fee. Verizon quoted a $50 court processing fee, which almost certainly takes less than 1 hour to do. It charges a $50 activation fee, which can't reasonably take 1 hour, and $10/day pen tap fee, and I doubt a Verizon employee is spending more than 12 minutes per day per pen tap. In other words, those documents show that Verizon is almost certainly charging more per unit time than Lavasoft would, and definitely not "several times" lower than Levinson.
  - malandrew 13y ago
    No I did not. This PDF and the White House NSA recommendations I have on my todo list for after the 25th of the month. Unfortunately, right now I cannot find the time to read anything this long. That being said, thanks for the clarification and specific relevant facts from the PDF.