Four Massachusetts mayors join ACLU challenge to sharing of phone records

[Mr_Spock]

By Kathleen Burge
Globe Staff

Four Massachusetts mayors announced today that they are requesting public hearings with the state agency that oversees telephone companies, part of an American Civil Liberties Union campaign to demand whether the country's largest security agency has access to private phone records.

"We've gone from, 'Can you hear me now?' to 'Who can hear me now?'" said Chicopee Mayor Michael D. Bissonnette, one of the four mayors requesting the hearings.

The ACLU launched its campaign today to probe whether telecommunications companies are illegally sharing customer information about calls and email with the National Security Agency. The ACLU requested that the Federal Communications Commission and 17 state public utilities commissions take action.

Massachusetts will play a prominent role in the campaign because state law allows mayors to demand public hearings with the state Department of Telecommunications and Energy. The mayors of four cities -- Newton, Somerville, Northampton, and Chicopee -- are requesting public hearings with the department to question whether the companies violated the law.


http://www.boston.com/news/globe/city_region/breaking_news/2006/05/four_massachues.html

[stepnw1f]

1. Excellent!!! (nt)

[wicket]

2. Holy crap, my town is on there!!!

:kick: :kick: :kick:

[Mr_Spock]

3. Cool!

It must be nice being from a town that values freedom and the Constitution!

[Bonobo]

4. Me too! Northampton here! Go Claire!!!

[The Witch]

5. Thank you Liberal Newton for raising me so well!

Glad to see that you're still kicking ass after I have flown the coop!!

[ShockediSay]

6. I think it's for security purposes (election rigging)

to secure the Repugs hold on to power.

[Supersedeas]

7. another example of real politics being local