Mayors press state on phone records, Higgins joins call for rights probe

[Bonobo]

This is my town, folks! Local politics at work!

NORTHAMPTON - Mayor Clare Higgins and three other mayors are calling for the state to investigate whether Verizon and AT&T violated customers' privacy rights by providing the federal government with their telephone records without their consent.

In a complaint filed with the state Department of Telecommunications and Energy, the mayors allege the two companies handed over the records to the National Security Agency without a warrant, court order or subpoena.

The mayors have requested a public hearing, and the DTE has given Verizon and AT&T until July 7 to respond to the complaint, according to a letter sent by the state agency to the companies last week.

'We want a hearing before DTE, and we want them to protect the confidentiality of customers' telephone records,' Higgins said Wednesday. 'If this phone record business is something the (Bush) administration feels they really need, then go through the proper channels to do it.'

'More here (Sorry, registratiopn costs)

http://www.dailyhampshiregazette.com/storytmp.cfm?id_no=61500732006