Legislation which changed the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to give U.S. telecoms immunity from prosecution for participating in legally-ambiguous spying programs, isn't set to expire until 2012 -- but one group of U.S. Senators appears to see opportunity in crisis.

Amid the calamitous debt-limit talks seizing Washington in recent weeks, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence kick started yesterday the mark-up of legislation that would reapprove the spying activities and telecom immunity.