T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T under fire for lack of transparency on surveillance [UPDATED]

T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T – the big three US carriers – are facing criticism from Sen. Ron Wyden over concerns they may not be equipped to prevent potential surveillance of lawmakers by the Trump administration. The Oregon Democrat recently warned fellow senators to take extra steps to protect themselves.

In a letter sent to other lawmakers, Wyden revealed that the three carriers hadn't been notifying senators about government surveillance requests, even though their contracts with the Senate require them to do so.

His staff's investigation found that AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon failed to alert senators when legal surveillance requests came through – including those possibly from the White House. According to the letter, all three carriers are now saying they've fixed the issue for Senate-funded phone lines.


While the carriers have addressed the gap for official government-issued devices, Wyden said there's still a serious problem when it comes to personal and campaign phones – which many senators actually rely on.

Right now, AT&T and Verizon will only provide notice of surveillance if it's tied to a Senate-issued line. T-Mobile, on the other hand, has agreed to also notify senators about surveillance involving personal and campaign devices.

Wyden urged senators to consider switching to carriers that support broader transparency. He named Google Fi, US Mobile and Cape as examples of providers that already notify all customers about government demands when allowed. US Mobile and Cape reportedly adopted this policy after Wyden's office reached out.

This all comes as Wyden is now pushing for new rules in the legislative branch appropriations bill to help protect lawmakers' personal devices with government-backed resources. Back in 2019, Wyden and Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) tried to pass legislation addressing similar concerns after the 2016 election and foreign hacking threats, but that bill never made it out of committee.

Technically, government surveillance of lawmakers can be legal in some cases, but Wyden argues it puts democracy at risk if members of Congress feel they're being watched and can't legislate freely.

And in separate news about the major carriers, consumer interest in AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon appears to be dropping off. Plus, a new report from the Wireless Infrastructure Association highlights a growing industry shift: while small cell deployment is slowing down, colocation – where multiple carriers share the same tower – is becoming more popular. It's a sign that carriers are looking for more efficient ways to manage their networks.

We've reached out to T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T for a comment and will update the story when we have a response.