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What Does Uncle Sam Pay to Read Your E-Mail?
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ShareOctober 16, 2007 11:30 AM
If you cringe when your read your monthly Internet or phone bill, take heart: Uncle Sam probably does too.
According to an internal Comcast cable company document, the giant cable-Internet-phone provider charges the government $1,000 nearly every time the FBI or other intelligence or law enforcement agency wants to surveil a person's e-mail or digital phone account.
Comcast provides cable-based communications service to millions of Americans. A company spokeswoman told ABC News "our first priority is our customers' privacy, but we want to balance that with the legitimate needs of law enforcement."
THE BLOTTER RECOMMENDS
On top of its "start-up" fee, Comcast charges state and federal authorities $750 a month to maintain electronic surveillance, according to the document, which was obtained by the nonprofit Secrecy News Web site.
The fees are charged for nearly all law enforcement or intelligence surveillance requests. In cases involving child exploitation, Comcast waives the fees, the document states.
In addition to those surveillance services, Comcast can also provide state and federal authorities with customer billing information for a fee, according to the 35-page document, entitled "Law Enforcement Handbook." The company strives to respond "within eight to ten days" to government requests, the handbook states.
Depending on the type of information an agency wants, it can submit a letter of request, a criminal warrant, obtain a court order, submit a secret intelligence warrant or use a controversial "National Security Letter," according to the handbook.
The document sheds light on the quiet cooperation some communications companies give government authorities, at a time when aspects of that relationship are coming under fire.
Communications companies are required by law to provide law enforcement access to customer information and records that are needed for criminal investigations, as well as for certain intelligence operations.
The Democrat-led Congress, however, is turning up the heat on the Bush administration and major telecommunications carriers for a domestic spying operation involving phone and Internet customers that many people, including former Justice Department officials, believe operated outside the law.
Little is known about the effort, which the White House has since named the "Terrorist Surveillance Program," other than that it apparently involved the super-secret National Security Agency (NSA) and carriers like AT&T and Verizon, which provided the government with customers' phone records.
Congressional leaders have said the Bush administration has steadfastly refused to provide details on the program, although the White House has said it had "fully briefed" them.
In letters to Congress released yesterday, carriers AT&T, Verizon and Qwest declined to discuss the program. Qwest has previously stated it declined to participate in the program, despite overtures from the administration.
There have been no reports that Comcast, which provides digital phone service to 3.5 million people, has been involved in the TSP.
The Comcast handbook, dated September 2007 and stamped "Comcast Confidential," does not say how many requests for surveillance assistance Comcast has received.
Do you have a tip for Brian Ross and the Investigative Team?
October 16, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (45)
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Welcome to the new Amerikkka. Liberties? We don't need no stinkin' liberties.
Posted by: Tom | Oct 16, 2007 11:53:10 AM
Big Brother is here. The more control the government has, the less freedoms we have. Does nobody care about American rights anymore?
Posted by: VeteranD | Oct 16, 2007 12:06:44 PM
And as taxpayers...we pay the fees for the government to spy on us...it costs them nothing !! The circle of life sometimes sucks Simba.
Posted by: Doug | Oct 16, 2007 12:26:42 PM
none
Posted by: deborah seligman | Oct 16, 2007 12:29:13 PM
They don't care, we are paying for it in taxes anyway! The thing is, the more they look, the more they pry, the more they stomp on our freedoms the more homeland terrorist they are going to find. Because they are causing citizens to really feel like the promise of America doesn't exist anymore.
Posted by: aboe | Oct 16, 2007 12:31:51 PM
So then if there getting all this money from the Government, why does my basic cable bill keep going up? Same 13 channels, but in 6 years the bill has gone up $4.00 yet I still only get 13 channels.
Posted by: TimTom | Oct 16, 2007 12:41:33 PM
Looks like the Constitution has been set ablaze by fear and paranoia. Too many people sit idle while we destroy the foundations of Democracy while at the same time praising Bush for keeping us "safe." Maybe we don't deserve such a beautiful document as the Constitution. The American dream is dead.
Posted by: Brent | Oct 16, 2007 12:50:55 PM
If the govt pays THAT much to read MY email, then I'll have to send a letter of apology because any emails I recieve are usually full of spam and the ones I send are increasingly boring.
Posted by: Michele | Oct 16, 2007 1:09:15 PM
Rights? The only rights we'll ever get from now on are the "Last rights" from a priest!
Posted by: | Oct 16, 2007 1:13:11 PM
America, land of the free? What rights? Big Brother is watching all of us.
Posted by: Michael Chlanda | Oct 16, 2007 1:19:21 PM
I love how monitoring Americans has become a profit-making arm of Comcast. I don't know if they keep this money, but it should be donated to non-partisan, worthy causes.
Posted by: Sam G | Oct 16, 2007 1:24:55 PM
Of course they keep the money!Heavan forbid they give away free money.Our bills go up as these companies add more HD.Even if you dont want it,you pay for it.But my opinion of why this is all sounding like a book I read back in 1984
Posted by: whistlebeforedawn | Oct 16, 2007 1:46:43 PM
What????? The government is looking at our email??? They can't find Osama? They can't balance a budget??? Boy, I am shocked!! (sarcastic)
Posted by: John | Oct 16, 2007 2:00:29 PM
Big Brother is watching in many ways and it gets more expencive. Want to know more about what is going on? Most ppl would not belive the things big brother wants.
Posted by: Greg | Oct 16, 2007 2:18:34 PM
hey, this is a republican government. They privatized the Army and the Iraqi war to the tune of billions and now they are privatizing law enforcement.
Just remember 1-20-09 when they get privatized.
Posted by: ntsc | Oct 16, 2007 2:20:55 PM
"Those Who Would Sacrifice Liberty for Security Deserve Neither." -Franklin
Posted by: DonD | Oct 16, 2007 2:37:59 PM
Kind of reminds me of the Soviet Union. If you talked to anyone from there in the bad old days, they felt they had freedom. They were free to do exactly what the government wanted them to do. Of course the leverage point is fear of another invasion. We are afraid that the terrorist bogeyman is coming to get us, King George please take our freedoms so that you can protect us. Yes I'm being sarcastic.
A side point for those who might be interested. OBL is in Pakistan continuing to get his annual allocation of funding from Saudi Arabia (that was the agreement for him to leave Saudi Arabia) which is partially derived from the bin Laden association with the Carlisle group which is one business venture that the Bush's share with the bin Laden clan.
Posted by: BooMan | Oct 16, 2007 3:00:22 PM
I'm sick of this sick government's intrusion into people's private affairs. I'm sick of these phone companies giving up our private info without a warrant. I miss my constitutional rights.
Posted by: Marilyn | Oct 16, 2007 3:31:57 PM
I would have to agree with the writer before me who stated “the Constitution has been set ablaze by fear and paranoia”. This fear has led us to accept the government to take back, renegotiate our basic rights to freedom and privacy in the name of Security.
With Freedom we want Security, with Security we want Freedom, the question is, how do we balance both Freedom and Security. Until we figure this out we will slowly dwindle away our Freedom for the sack of Security.
Posted by: lloyd | Oct 16, 2007 3:41:48 PM
It drives me crazy that they keep saying it costs the GOVERNMENT when what they really should be saying is it costs YOU! IT COSTS YOU $1,000 DOLLARS EVERYTIME THE GOVERNMENT WANTS TO ILLEGALLY MONITOR YOURS OR ANYONE ELSES EMAILS OR OTHER ACTIVITY VIA THE INTERNET! KEEP THAT IN MIND YOU ARE BEING CHARGED BY THE GOVERNMENT SO THEY CAN SPY ON YOU!!!! RON PAUL FOR PRES!!
Posted by: Ezra | Oct 16, 2007 3:45:43 PM
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