I think this is an example of a very visible but not too uncommon relationship between three letter agencies and corporations in the US.

The reality is that since the cold war ended we have been using intelligence and military resources to protect and secure our interests in what are called the "global commons". Before, this was physical manifestations like the open seas, space, our earths atmosphere etc. Now the internet is another one of those global commons that we must take a proactive role in securing. Our economy relies on our US based corporations ability to do business across the internet without risk of piracy of IP, much like international freight has to be able to ship across the ocean with out being hijacked. I am not sure how you decide which one of the three letter agencies takes ownership in this case but there are international laws and policies that are still outdated to prosecute this type of crime. Hopefully the NSA / Google will keep their goals clear and use this as an opportunity to gain insight into how nation states have violated our virtual borders, but leave my email and PII alone. I would really hate to see another AT&T mess come out of all this partnership.