> (whereas given past history Verizon and most other telcos would be likely to go along meekly) Weren't varous telcos co-operating with this program before it

> (whereas given past history Verizon and most other telcos would be likely to go along meekly) Weren't varous telcos co-operating with this program before it was strictly speaking legal? I seem to recall something about them being given retroactive immunity. Indeed, I'd guess that Verizon's broad metadata order is less a means to really compel Verizon than a convenient sicknote for them, giving immunity and some PR cover in the event of discovery.