Rep. Markey Urges FCC Probe Into Uses Of Telephone Data

REP MARKEY URGES FCC PROBE INTO USES OF TELEPHONE DATA
[SOURCE: Technology Daily 2/9, AUTHOR: David Hatch]
After receiving an award from the Alliance for Public Technology on Friday, House Telecom Subcommittee Chairman Ed Markey (D-MA) said he wants the Federal Communications Commission to investigate allegations that telecommunications carriers let the National Security Agency review customer telephone records without legal authority. "Telecommunications law requires that the privacy of all consumers be protected," he said and the FCC has "a responsibility to use ... the laws that they are bound to uphold to engage in a public policy debate" with the NSA. "The NSA does not have a legal right to assert unfettered access to all telephone records in America without obtaining a legal warrant." Chairman Markey does not accept the view of Republican FCC Chairman Kevin Martin that his agency cannot investigate. "I don't think it's right to say that the FCC won't undertake an effort to protect the privacy of those phone calls because they know they'll be told 'no' by the National Security Agency," Chairman Markey said. In the past, major carriers have either denied the allegations or declined to comment.
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