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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2009
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NSA Deepens Tense Alliance with Telecoms

Both sides await word on possible immunity for carriers

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(Newser) – The telecom industry will be all ears to proceedings beginning tomorrow on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers will decide if companies helping the government’s warrantless surveillance program should receive immunity. President Bush personally lobbied Congress to further the NSA’s tenuous alliance with the industry, whose members are increasingly resistant to phone record requests, the New York Times reports.

The defiance comes as the NSA seeks help in areas beyond terrorism: One carrier rejected pleas to hand over customer records in a narcotics trafficking case. The transmission of international communications by land and undersea cables, instead of by air, has complicated NSA’s efforts. An ex-AT&T engineer who worked on a project monitoring global communications said, “I started feeling something isn’t right.”

NSA Use Of Phone Company Data Sparks Controversy
NSA Use Of Phone Company Data Sparks Controversy   (Getty Images)
A lawsuit accuses Verizon of setting up a dedicated fiber optic line from New Jersey to Quantico, Va., home to a large military base, allowing government officials to gain access to all communications flowing through the carrier%u2019s operations center.
A lawsuit accuses Verizon of setting up a dedicated fiber optic line from New Jersey to Quantico, Va., home to a large military base, allowing government officials to gain access to all communications...   (Getty Images)
N.S.A. officials met with the Qwest executives in February 2001 and asked for more access to their phone system for surveillance operations, according to people familiar with the episode. The company declined, expressing concerns that the request was illegal without a court order.
N.S.A. officials met with the Qwest executives in February 2001 and asked for more access to their phone system for surveillance operations, according to people familiar with the episode. The company...   (Getty Images)
The National Security Agency/Central Security Service (NSA/CSS) building in Fort Meade, Md. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
The National Security Agency/Central Security Service (NSA/CSS) building in Fort Meade, Md. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)   (Associated Press)
National Intelligence Director Mike McConnell (AP Photo/Lawrence Jackson)
National Intelligence Director Mike McConnell (AP Photo/Lawrence Jackson)   (Associated Press)
President George W. Bush has personally lobbied Congress to pass legislation protecting companies from lawsuits for aiding the National Security Agency%u2019s warrantless eavesdropping program.
President George W. Bush has personally lobbied Congress to pass legislation protecting companies from lawsuits for aiding the National Security Agency%u2019s warrantless eavesdropping program.   (Getty Images)
Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell (AP Photo/Meet The Press, Alex Wong)
Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell (AP Photo/Meet The Press, Alex Wong)   (Associated Press)
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