The Senate begins debate today on a bill that could permanently expand the government’s ability to carry out domestic surveillance and give immunity to telecommunications companies that have assisted in the governments illegal spying. This comes as the New York Times reports the National Security Agency’s reliance on telecommunications companies is broader and deeper than ever before. The Times has revealed the NSA has helped the Drug Enforcement Administration collect the phone records of thousands of Americans and others inside the United States who call people in Latin America. The Times also reveals that the Bush administration’s spy program began almost as soon as it took office, months before the September 11 attack. A lawyer for an AT&T whistleblower says that within two weeks of taking office, the Bush administration began a comprehensive effort of spying on Americans’ phone usage. In a federal court case, the engineer claims that AT&T sought to create a phone center that would give the NSA access to “all the global phone and e-mail traffic that ran through” a New Jersey network hub.