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     This story was printed from CdrInfo.com,

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The House Energy and Commerce Committee asked AT&T Inc , Verizon Communications and Qwest Communications International on Tuesday to describe how U.S. government agencies sought to obtain information about customer telephone and Internet use.

Last year, it was widely reported that some big telephone companies allowed the U.S. government access to millions of telephone records for an anti-terrorism program. Former Qwest chief executive Joseph Nacchio refused the government's request up until he left the company in 2002, his lawyer has said.

The committee also wants to "examine the difficult position of the phone companies who may have been asked by the government to violate the privacy of their customers without the assurance of liability protections," Rep. John D. Dingell said in a statement.

AT&T issued a statement saying it "is fully committed to protecting our customers' privacy" but would not comment on national security matters.

Letters sent to the telephone companies asked them to describe how government requests for customer information are made and how the records are disclosed. The lawmakers also want to know if the government tried to install equipment on phone networks to intercept Internet traffic or presented a subpoena ordering the companies to install or permit such equipment.

The letters also asked phone companies if they provided information to the government about customers' "communities of interest" or networks contacts.

The Committee requested responses from all parties by October 12, 2007

Copies of the letters sent to the phone companies were posted on the committee's Web site at: http://energycommerce.house.gov/Press_110/110nr98.shtml.