Big bucks in big wiretaps. Comcast charges $1000 each to install + $750 per tap per month

[havocmom]

A grand per to install and $750 per month to keep the tap going. What a deal.... for those corporations willing to ignore laws!

http://rawstory.com/news/2007/For_one_company_FISA_wiretaps_carry_1016.html

Comcast, which is among the nation's largest telecommunication companies, charges $1,000 to install a FISA wiretap and $750 for each additional month authorities want to keep an eye on suspects, according to the company's Handbook for Law Enforcement. Secrecy News obtained the document and published it Monday.

"I was actually surprised that this was such a routine transaction that it would have a set fee," said Steven Aftergood, director of the Federation of American Scientists' Project on Government Secrecy.

Aftergood, who runs the Secrecy News blog, told RAW STORY that the Comcast document was the only one he has seen outlining wiretap procedures and costs, so he couldn't compare Comcast's fees with those charged by other telecoms.

[Rabrrrrrr]

1. Wow, that's a hefty profit for something that costs Comcast maybe 20 cents

in operator time to flick a switch once.

[havocmom]

2. Your tax dollars at work - subverting your rights to privacy

No wonder FISA rules seemed inconsequential to the major players.

How many lines tapped? Junta and corporations aren't selling America out fast enough via the war, they seem to have built all sorts of money pipelines to corporations.

The wire taps will probably only stop when China decides we go cold turkey on debt increases.

[slor]

3. While I have always been opposed to the chimp regime...

wiretapping requests, I must ask, if it was a legitimate wiretap situation, should any company feel free to make such an extreme profit for complying in a matter of national security?

[Kingshakabobo]

4. That's the first thing that came to mind. Why is there a profit motive for the telcos?

That stinks to HIGH HEAVEN.

[havocmom]

7. If you want them to participate in your nefarious plans, you gotta buy them off

[robinlynne]

8. That is their ONLY motive in life.

[havocmom]

5. Guess they feel free to make extreme profit because they can

Those CEOs, maybe they really are worth all those big bucks, thinkin up such clever ways to make money.
:sarcasm:

How long before they cannot deny it's fascism? How many $$ funneled to corporations? How many deaths on war for profit? How many elections stolen by corporate machines? How many human rights thrown away for the corporate good?

Is it fascism YET?

[L. Coyote]

20. the high cost of co-conspiracy. billing the taxpayers for Bush's crimes

[robinlynne]

6. I read somewhere 4,600 people plus all the people they ever called, plus all the people those people

ever called. say 50 phone numbers per household, that would be:
11,500,000

[havocmom]

9. And the 4600 number is likely low to what the reality is

How many movers and shakers? US Congress and staff alone would account for a mess of phones to tap, and I have little doubt those have all been tapped. Takes info to blackmail people into submission.

[L. Coyote]

12. 2006, "Verizon letter said, it received 88,000 such requests"

From: NY TIMES: Phone Utilities Won’t Give Details About Eavesdropping
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x2058220

Verizon and the other companies have acknowledged that they routinely comply with what Verizon called “lawful demands” for call records and access to phone lines. In 2006, the Verizon letter said, it received 88,000 such requests, about 34,000 from federal officials and 54,000 from state and local officials. Through September of this year, it received 24,000 federal requests and 37,000 state and local requests.

[robinlynne]

15. federal, state, and local. That is interesting. I thought this was all federal.

[L. Coyote]

17. This includes all law enforcement. No all is controverted or known to be illegal.

[havocmom]

18. Feds want to get locals on board. Letting them play fast & loose with laws

is one way of appealing to the worst of any agency to go along with the agenda.

[IDemo]

10. I'm quite sure that the tapping "procedure"

Consists of nothing more complicated than typing a phone number into a workstation and clicking on a checkbox ("route-NSA", or something more cryptic).

[fenriswolf]

11. hhhmmmm

wonder how many telecom lobbiest's helped with the new fisa law? or promote wiretapping in general because its good for the bottom line, they get paid to provide communication to people....and get paid again to disclose those communications to the gov, what a nice racket.

[fenriswolf]

13. jeez that makes me

wonder how many telecom lobbiest's helped with the new fisa law? or promote wiretapping in general because its good for the bottom line, they get paid to provide communication to people....and get paid again to disclose those communications to the gov, what a nice racket.

[Snarkturian Clone]

14. Comcast is massively corrupt and awful company.

Their service sucks, their staff are morons, and now this.

Here's their big-ass building being built in philly:

[havocmom]

16. Indulge me & my tin foil here. IF terrorism was such a threat, why the big target?

Iffin I had that kind of $$ AND knew there were terrorists meaning to take us down (as the corporations tapping lines for NSA must surly know :sarcasm:) I would be building bunker complexes, not big ol in your face targets.

Makes me think the threats they keep using to justify the thieving just aren't so real. That building looks like a contemporary version of an old temple complex, built to remind the peasants who the boss is.

[L. Coyote]

19. K & R

[havocmom]

21. Thanks Coyote. And I'll kick for the evening shift cuz people need to know about the $$ part

There's money to be made violating rights. And taxpayers are footing the bill for having their own privacy violated so cheney can get info on everybody.

Real terrorists probably use other means to communicate.