Verizon Denies Giving NSA Phone Records

A cell phone user passes a Verizon store in this Thursday April 27, 2006 file photo in New York. Verizon Communications Inc. denied Tuesday, May 16, 2006 that it had received a request for customer phone records from the National Security Agency, bringing into question key points of a USA Today story. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan) (Mark Lennihan - AP)

Tuesday's denial did not apply to MCI, the long-distance carrier Verizon acquired in January. In an earlier statement, Verizon said it is in the process of ensuring that its policies are put in place in the former MCI business.

Three smaller phone companies, with mainly local business, contacted by The Associated Press on Tuesday also denied being approached by the NSA. Representatives at Alltel Corp., Citizens Communications Co. and CenturyTel Inc. all said they had no knowledge of NSA requests to their companies.

The denials by Verizon and BellSouth leave AT&T as the sole company named in the USA Today article that hasn't denied involvement. On Thursday, San Antonio-based AT&T said it had "an obligation to assist law enforcement and other government agencies responsible for protecting the public welfare," but said it would assist only as allowed within the law.

AT&T spokesman Michael Coe said Tuesday the company had no further comment.

AT&T Inc. was formed last year when regional phone company SBC Communications Inc. bought AT&T Corp., the long-distance and corporate carrier, and adopted its name.

The other major long-distance company, Sprint Nextel Corp., has issued a statement similar to AT&T's.

President Bush insisted Tuesday that the government does not listen to domestic telephone conversations among ordinary Americans. But he declined to specifically discuss the compiling of phone records, or whether that would amount to an invasion of privacy.

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, Tuesday said that at least two of the chief judges on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which approves warrants for intelligence surveillance, had been informed since 2001 of White House-approved National Security Agency monitoring operations, and had not raised objections.

On Monday, a Democratic member of the Federal Communications Commission said the FCC should investigate whether the companies violated federal communications law.

BellSouth, Verizon and AT&T are facing a number of lawsuits by customers who allege violations of their privacy, including one in New York that seeks $200 billion in damages.

In April, an Internet advocacy group sued AT&T, accusing it of providing complete access to all communications on its network to the NSA.

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AP Business Writer Harry Weber in Atlanta contributed to this story.