Details continue to emerge on U.S. surveillance of the global Internet. The Washington Post reports the National Security Agency’s PRISM program mining the servers of major Internet companies like Google and Facebook has run in parallel with a separate operation called “Upstream.” Through Upstream, the NSA taps directly into the fiber-optic cables that carry the vast majority of global Internet traffic. The United States has ensured access by sending a group of federal officials dubbed “Team Telecom” to reach agreements with global telecom providers. A 2003 agreement with the Asia-based Global Crossing imposed “an internal corporate cell” of Americans to make sure surveillance requests were approved. Global Crossing was also forced to establish a U.S.-based “Network Operations Center” where U.S. agents could show up with just 30 minutes’ notice. The United States has used the Federal Communications Commission as leverage to hold up the approval of cable licenses sought by foreign firms.