Few electronic devices have become as personal and ubiquitous as the mobile phone. Or as contentious. A few weeks ago, researchers discovered previously unknown location tracking files on the iPhone. Before that, the country's second-largest wireless carrier (AT&T) agreed to buy the fourth (T-Mobile). Next week the Senate will hold two hearings to look at these issues.

On Tuesday, Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., is calling Apple and Google to Washington to explain their privacy policies in a Judiciary subcommittee hearing titled "Protecting Mobile Privacy: Your Smartphones, Tablets, Cell Phones and Your Privacy."

The witness list for the hearing includes:

Jessica Rich, Deputy Director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection, Federal Trade Commission

Jason Weinstein, Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Criminal Division, U.S. Department of Justice

Justin Brookman, Director of the Project on Consumer Privacy, Center for Democracy and Technology

Alan Davidson, Director of Public Policy for Google

Ashkan Soltani, an Independent Researcher and Consultant

Guy L. "Bud" Tribble, Vice President of Software Technology for Apple

Jonathan Zuck, President of the Association for Competitive Technology

Then on Wednesday, Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Wis., is holding a subcommittee hearing titled "The AT&T/T-Mobile Merger: Is Humpty Dumpty Being Put Back Together Again?" As the title suggests, the hearing will look at the implications of an AT&T and T-Mobile merger, which would create a wireless company surpassing Verizon as the nation's largest.

The witness list for this hearing includes:

Randall L. Stephenson, President & CEO of AT&T

Philipp Humm, President & CEO of T-Mobile USA

Daniel R. Hesse, CEO of Sprint Nextel Corporation

Victor H. "Hu" Meena, President & CEO of Cellular South, Inc.

Gigi Sohn, President & Co-Founder of Public Knowledge

Larry Cohen , President of the Communications Workers of America

Washington, DC While Senators undoubtedly plan to grill these mobile phone makers and carriers, we'll be holding the politicians' feet to the fire with our award-winning Sunlight Live platform. Visit sunlightlive.com to watch live video streams, read contemporaneous real-time blogging and follow the campaign and lobbying money with our integrated data cards.