Vermont sets deadline for eavesdropping cases

MONTPELIER, Vt. – The state Public Service Board set a Sept. 25 deadline Tuesday for the parties in a pair of “warrantless eavesdropping” cases to submit arguments on whether the cases should move forward while a federal appellate court weighs dismissing suits by Vermont, Maine and three other states.

After a status conference, the board said it would seek input on proceeding with an investigation into whether Verizon and AT&T gave the National Security Agency access to Vermont residents’ phone records as part of an anti-terrorist phone surveillance program.

On July 24, a federal judge in California balked at dismissing suits by Connecticut, Maine, Missouri, New Jersey and Vermont seeking information on the program, effectively keeping alive the cases pending an appeals court decision.

The states have served several telecommunications companies with subpoenas demanding to know if any customer information was turned over to the NSA.

The federal government has asked that the cases be thrown out, saying that if they’re not, sensitive homeland security secrets could be exposed. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments on the appeal last month in San Francisco, but hasn’t ruled.

Vermont regulators have been asked by the federal government to drop their investigation, but they have not been ordered to do so.