FCC Commissioner Bucks Bush on Call Snooping

FCC Commissioner Michael J. Copps yesterday called for the FCC to open an official inquiry into the legality of the recent collection and disclosure to the government of Americans’ phone records by the leading telecommunications companies.

In a brief press release, Copps requested an inquiry into whether the phone companies involved in helping the NSA collect the call records of tens of millions of Americans violated sections of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 (text of Act). “We need to be certain that the companies over which the FCC has public interest oversight have not gone – or been asked to go – to a place where they should not be,” he stated.

Copps specifically suggested that the phone companies -- AT&T, Verizon and BellSouth -- may have violated Section 222 of the Telecommunications Act, dealing with privacy of customer information.

While Commissioner Copps agreed with the White House that protecting the security of the American people remains the government’s top priority, he also noted that, “in a Digital Age where collecting, distributing, and manipulating consumers’ personal information is as easy as a click of a button, the privacy of our citizens must still matter.”

Also See:
NSA Call Record Collection Probably Legal
Another View: NSA Phone Number Grab is Illegal
Bush Explains Massive NSA Call Data Collection