The telecom industry has been feeding politicians in Washington D.C. with millions of dollars in an attempt to capture enough legislative favor to kill net neutrality, Gizmodo reported.
According to the report, telecom companies and an industry trade group have given over $8 million to Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. House and Senate just this year. The battle of net neutrality is a foul one because Tom Wheeler, Chairman of the FCC, is a former lobbyist for the telecom industry.
The FCC receives oversight from the Senate Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet and the House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology. With exception of one Democratic senator, every single member of the Senate Subcommittee has received thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from the telecom industry and its trade group, the National Cable and Telecommunications Association (NCTA).
Regarding the House Subcommittee, every single member received large campaign contributions from the telecom industry. Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), who received $46,000 from the industry this year, called net neutrality rules “socialistic,” and also supports limiting the FCC’s power to create community broadband networks that compete with big companies.
When Obama announced his support of net neutrality and a free, open internet, Republicans, and sell out Democrats, have come out in force to oppose the president. Ted Cruz posted a tweet this week stating that “‘Net Neutrality’ is Obamacare for the internet.” If one understands the ins and outs of the net neutrality debate, such ignorance is frustrating to the educated and logical mind.
One major problem is that politicians like Cruz have been tasked with overseeing the administration of something that they are clueless about. Had Cruz been thinking for himself and not for the telecom industry, he and his colleagues would understand that.