The source said even though the NSA may have that power
    to collect the geolocation data under the law and the 
    secret court's rulings, the NSA does not use it.

I think this gets to the heart of the misunderstanding between the administration and the critics of these programs: the administration assures us that they have not and will not abuse the program, whereas most critics argue that abuse will occur (eventually) if such abuse is not actively prevented, rather than merely forbidden by policies.