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 NEWS  Federal  Communications  Commission  445  12  th  Street,  S.  W.  Washington,  D.  C.  20554  This  is  an  unofficial  announcement  of  Commission  action.  Release  of  the  full  text  of  a  Commission  order  constitutes  official  action.  See  MCI  v.  FCC.  515  F  2d  385  (D.  C.  Circ  1974).  News  Media  Information  202  /  418-  0500  Internet:  http://  www.  fcc.  gov  TTY:  1-  888-  835-  5322  FOR  IMMEDIATE  RELEASE  NEWS  MEDIA  CONTACT: 
 May  15,  2006  Jessica  Rosenworcel:  (202)  418-  2000 
 COMMISSIONER  MICHAEL  J.  COPPS  CALLS  FOR  THE  FCC  TO  OPEN  AN  INQUIRY  INTO  THE  LAWFULNESS  OF  THE  DISCLOSURE  OF  AMERICA’S  PHONE  RECORDS 
 Washington,  D.  C.—  Reacting  to  recent  news  reports  that  the  nation’s  largest  telecommunications  carriers  provided  the  government  with  customers’  calling  records,  Commissioner 
 Michael  J.  Copps  stated: 
 “Recent  news  reports  suggest  that  some  –  but  interestingly  not  all  –  of  the  nation’s  largest  telephone  companies  have  provided  the  government  with  their  customers’ 
 calling  records.  There  is  no  doubt  that  protecting  the  security  of  the  American  people  is  our  government’s  number  one  responsibility.  But  in  a  Digital  Age  where  collecting, 
 distributing,  and  manipulating  consumers’  personal  information  is  as  easy  as  a  click  of  a  button,  the  privacy  of  our  citizens  must  still  matter.  To  get  to  the  bottom  of  this 
 situation,  the  FCC  should  initiate  an  inquiry  into  whether  the  phone  companies’  involvement  violated  Section  222  or  any  other  provisions  of  the  Communications  Act. 
 We  need  to  be  certain  that  the  companies  over  which  the  FCC  has  public  interest  oversight  have  not  gone  –  or  been  asked  to  go  –  to  a  place  where  they  should  not  be.  ” 


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