heath.whiteaker
08-28-2008, 03:50 PM
http://www.freedomsphoenix.com/Find-Freedom.htm?At=037593&From=News
The Xcel Energy Center might be the home of the Republican Nation Convention next week. But the RNC should have the its own sign plastered over the Xcel that says “brought to you by AT&T.” The Texas-based company’s PAC is the Republican party’s biggest donor, shelling out more than $1.3 million for Republican campaigns this year alone, according to campaign finance reports. And more than $168,000 of that has gone directly to the campaign for John McCain, whom AT&T has strongly supported and vice versa.
In 2006, for example, the company donated $200,000 to the International Republican Institute, a Washington organization where McCain served as chairman of the board. This was the year that, not coincidentally, McCain was also chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, the group responsible for overseeing the telecom industry.
Yet AT&T has wormed its way into policy and campaign issues beyond just giving millions in coercive, soft-money donations to McCain’s campaign: A total of 12 of McCain’s campaign advisers and/or staff are either registered as lobbyists for or served as an executive of AT&T. His chief adviser, Charlie Black, is the former chairman of lobbying firm BKSH & Associates, which has represented AT&T for the last decade.
In the case of McCain, such close ties have paid off for the telecom giant: As a senior member of the Senate Commerce Committee (he twice served as chairman), McCain voted to allow the AT&T merger in 2005, when SBC Communications bought AT&T for $16 billion. And he introduced a measure that would limit the Federal Communications Commission authority to review telecom takeovers and monopolies. As chairman of the committee, he also voted to ban state and local taxes on Internet access, a bill supported by the AT&T and the rest of the telecom industry. McCain won praise year after year from the industry for his support of bills that favored the giants but not the public at large.
It makes sense then that AT&T, the biggest telecom company in the country, will be the biggest party thrower at the RNC next week, hosting nearly 20 parties across the Twin Cities for Republican lawmakers. That’s because, with net neutrality a campaign issue, AT&T has the most to gain. McCain has vehemently opposed net neutrality, meaning that he thinks Internet Service Providers, such as AT&T, for example, can own and restrict content on the web.
To get access to such “privileged” content, users like you and me would have to pay for an expensive, multi-tiered service package. In other words, McCain wants to give his buddies at AT&T and other telecom industries major tax breaks (25 percent, according to his most recent tech plan) and the ability to censor and control content. Such a trampling of net neutrality would result in billions of dollars in profits for AT&T, which is in the wireless, internet, and satellite TV business and has more than 100 million customers. But it would mean consumers and businesses would have to pay a lot more for access, and even then companies like AT&T could block content, services, and applications.
Next week, AT&T parties will dot the Twin Cities day and night, its party goers/lawmakers lit up by the blue glow of their AT&T iPhones and telltale smiles. As the second-largest campaign contributor in the country, donating a total of $39.5 million since 1989, just ahead of the National Association of Realtors, AT&T is going all out for the shindigs, hosting one every day for various state delegates. And while it’s illegal for private companies to host a party specifically for individual lawmakers, it doesn’t stop the companies from courting them and schmoozing them. Here are just a few of the parties AT&T will be throwing for lawmakers next week:
August 31
Salute to the Screen Actors Guild at the Fine Line Music Café (10pm-2am)
September 1
AT&T reception for California delegates at Brit’s Pub (5pm-7pm)
September 2
Young Guns reception at Brit’s Pub (5pm-7pm)
African-American voter reception at Karma (7pm-10pm)
September 3
The One campaign featuring “A-list” musical guest at Epic (10pm-2am)
The Xcel Energy Center might be the home of the Republican Nation Convention next week. But the RNC should have the its own sign plastered over the Xcel that says “brought to you by AT&T.” The Texas-based company’s PAC is the Republican party’s biggest donor, shelling out more than $1.3 million for Republican campaigns this year alone, according to campaign finance reports. And more than $168,000 of that has gone directly to the campaign for John McCain, whom AT&T has strongly supported and vice versa.
In 2006, for example, the company donated $200,000 to the International Republican Institute, a Washington organization where McCain served as chairman of the board. This was the year that, not coincidentally, McCain was also chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, the group responsible for overseeing the telecom industry.
Yet AT&T has wormed its way into policy and campaign issues beyond just giving millions in coercive, soft-money donations to McCain’s campaign: A total of 12 of McCain’s campaign advisers and/or staff are either registered as lobbyists for or served as an executive of AT&T. His chief adviser, Charlie Black, is the former chairman of lobbying firm BKSH & Associates, which has represented AT&T for the last decade.
In the case of McCain, such close ties have paid off for the telecom giant: As a senior member of the Senate Commerce Committee (he twice served as chairman), McCain voted to allow the AT&T merger in 2005, when SBC Communications bought AT&T for $16 billion. And he introduced a measure that would limit the Federal Communications Commission authority to review telecom takeovers and monopolies. As chairman of the committee, he also voted to ban state and local taxes on Internet access, a bill supported by the AT&T and the rest of the telecom industry. McCain won praise year after year from the industry for his support of bills that favored the giants but not the public at large.
It makes sense then that AT&T, the biggest telecom company in the country, will be the biggest party thrower at the RNC next week, hosting nearly 20 parties across the Twin Cities for Republican lawmakers. That’s because, with net neutrality a campaign issue, AT&T has the most to gain. McCain has vehemently opposed net neutrality, meaning that he thinks Internet Service Providers, such as AT&T, for example, can own and restrict content on the web.
To get access to such “privileged” content, users like you and me would have to pay for an expensive, multi-tiered service package. In other words, McCain wants to give his buddies at AT&T and other telecom industries major tax breaks (25 percent, according to his most recent tech plan) and the ability to censor and control content. Such a trampling of net neutrality would result in billions of dollars in profits for AT&T, which is in the wireless, internet, and satellite TV business and has more than 100 million customers. But it would mean consumers and businesses would have to pay a lot more for access, and even then companies like AT&T could block content, services, and applications.
Next week, AT&T parties will dot the Twin Cities day and night, its party goers/lawmakers lit up by the blue glow of their AT&T iPhones and telltale smiles. As the second-largest campaign contributor in the country, donating a total of $39.5 million since 1989, just ahead of the National Association of Realtors, AT&T is going all out for the shindigs, hosting one every day for various state delegates. And while it’s illegal for private companies to host a party specifically for individual lawmakers, it doesn’t stop the companies from courting them and schmoozing them. Here are just a few of the parties AT&T will be throwing for lawmakers next week:
August 31
Salute to the Screen Actors Guild at the Fine Line Music Café (10pm-2am)
September 1
AT&T reception for California delegates at Brit’s Pub (5pm-7pm)
September 2
Young Guns reception at Brit’s Pub (5pm-7pm)
African-American voter reception at Karma (7pm-10pm)
September 3
The One campaign featuring “A-list” musical guest at Epic (10pm-2am)