WASHINGTON ( CNN ) -- The Senate Wednesday approved a bill to put new rules in place for intelligence agency eavesdropping on suspected terrorists . Communication technologies like mobile phones have made the 1978 FISA bill out of date , supporters say . The bill also effectively protects telephone companies from being sued for cooperating with a government surveillance program launched in the wake of the 2001 attacks on New York and Washington . The White House pushed hard for the provision , with a threat to veto the bill if it did not contain protection for phone companies . The vote was 69-28 , with Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois voting in favor . Republican candidate Sen. John McCain of Arizona was not present for the vote . President Bush said Wednesday afternoon he will sign the bill , calling it `` vital '' and `` long overdue . '' Watch Bush praise the new FISA bill » . The bill , formally known as the FISA Amendments Act , updates the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act . It will : . Opponents argued that the provision creating a judicial review of cases against the telecommunication companies is a sham . The bill essentially grants immunity to the telecommunication companies , the opponents said , because all of the telephone carriers received government certifications saying their participation in the program was legal . Obama was criticized for backing away from his early opposition to the bill by liberal bloggers and individuals commenting on his campaign Web site . Before voting for the bill , Obama voted for an amendment offered by Sen. Christopher Dodd , D-Connecticut , that would have stripped the language granting immunity to telecommunications companies . Civil liberties groups have vowed to fight the legislation in court . `` This fight is not over . We intend to challenge this bill as soon as President Bush signs it into law , '' Jameel Jaffer , director of the ACLU National Security Project , said in a statement issued minutes after the Senate approved the bill . `` The bill allows the warrantless and dragnet surveillance of Americans ' international telephone and e-mail communications . It plainly violates the Fourth Amendment . '' President Bush acknowledged in 2005 that he ordered the secretive National Security Agency to intercept communications between U.S. residents and people overseas suspected of having ties to terrorism . The administration says the program was authorized when Congress approved military action against al Qaeda after the 2001 attacks . CNN 's Pam Benson contributed to this report .
Bill updates Foreign Intelligence Reform Act of 1978 . Senate passes bill by a vote of 61 - 28 ; Bush says he will sign the bill . Bill updates eavesdropping rules to take into account the changes . Civil liberties groups plan to fight bill in court .