From: epicalert@aol.com (Epic alert) Subject: FBI Asks 5-Year Delay on Wiretap Data Date: 26 Sep 1994 15:19:02 -0400 The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is asking a federal judge to delay for five years a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit seeking disclosure of documents the Bureau has cited in support of the FBI Wiretap Bill now pending in Congress. The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) is fighting for the public release of two surveys conducted by the FBI on alleged "technical problems" that hamper wiretapping. FBI Director Louis Freeh has cited these surveys in Congressional testimony in support of H.R. 4922 and S. 2375, legislation that would require the re-design of the nation's telecommunications infrastructure to facilitate electronic surveillance. The FBI is pushing for quick enactment of the legislation in the waning days of the current session of Congress. The bill has been slowed, however, by strong grassroots opposition coordinated by EPIC, Voters Telecomm Watch and other organizations. According to David Sobel, EPIC's legal counsel, "it's ironic that the FBI is asking Congress to move quickly on this legislation at the same time that it is seeking to delay the release of relevant documentation until 1999." A hearing on the FBI's delay request will be held in federal court in Washington, DC, on September 29.