Telco Industry Is Prepared For Telco Reform: It Has Hundreds Of Former Gov't Officials Ready To Write The Laws

from the this-is-called-regulatory-capture dept

Mon, Jun 21st 2010 6:10pm — Mike Masnick

Want to see how regulatory capture works in action? Congress is apparently gearing up to start the massive process of reforming telecom/broadband laws later this week, and the communications companies are ready for it. A recent report shows that the big telcos/broadband companies have not only spent big on lobbying the government, they're hiring a ton of ex-government employees, including eighteen former members of Congress, to act as lobbyists. A full 72% of telco lobbyists are former employees of the federal government, including the two top (former) staffers to Sen. Jay Rockefeller, who is the chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation, who will have a role in telco reform. Is it really any wonder that telcos are now saying they may be fine with "net neutrality" regulations? They know that they'll craft the legislation themselves, so it will benefit them.

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Filed Under: lobbyists, regulatory capture, telco reform

22 Comments

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zellamayzao, 21 Jun 2010 @ 6:45pm

this is what happens when
The government works for money instead of the people. This is going to be more of an anti-consumer/ anti-competitive move than anything apple or intel or google would ever dream up.
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Anonymous Coward, 21 Jun 2010 @ 6:56pm

i suppose you think it would be better if they hired garbage men and undergrads, right? when i want my car fixed, i take it to a mechanic, not a flower shop. when i want telcom laws to be pushed for, i dont hire a mechanic, i hire someone who knows how to push.

for a smart guy mike you sure are dense at times.
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- Anonymous Coward, 21 Jun 2010 @ 7:22pm
  
  Re:
  If former politicians are so easily bought out then why should I believe that current politicians are somehow any less easily bought out?
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- ChurchHatesTucker (profile), 21 Jun 2010 @ 7:30pm
  
  Re:
  i suppose you think it would be better if they hired garbage men and undergrads, right?
  
  I'd rather entrust the government of the United States to the first 400 people listed in the Boston telephone directory than to the faculty of Harvard University.
  
  --Wm. F. Buckley, Jr.
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  - Anonymous Coward, 21 Jun 2010 @ 10:30pm
    
    Re: Re:
    Then everyone would start changing their names and trying to lobby for Boston telephone directory rankings.
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- Bzzzzzzzzzz, 21 Jun 2010 @ 8:31pm
  
  Re:
  "for a smart guy mike you sure are dense at times."
  
  lowercase coward thinks he is smart ....
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- DCX2, 21 Jun 2010 @ 8:50pm
  
  Re:
  You appear to be making the mistaken assumption that government employees are competent.
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- Anonymous Coward, 21 Jun 2010 @ 9:26pm
  
  Re:
  So by the logic of your false dichotomy, the world consists only of garbage men/undergrads, and blatant corporate shills. Interesting. I did not know that.
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Anonymous Coward, 21 Jun 2010 @ 7:06pm

The perhaps it is the government that should be hiring those smart and experienced individuals so that the government *of the people* might pass legislation that is best *for the people* instead paying for the new yachts of an elite few.
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USA CORUPTION #1, 21 Jun 2010 @ 7:12pm

isnt this how hte maffia works?
yo bribe officials so yo ucan do illegal activity or get what your doing made legal?
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Bob, 21 Jun 2010 @ 8:29pm

Well said Mr. Buckley,
Well said Mr. Buckley.
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Anonymous Coward, 21 Jun 2010 @ 8:39pm

better than the RIAA
at least they're embracing change
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- Jay (profile), 21 Jun 2010 @ 11:35pm
  
  Re: better than the RIAA
  Yes... Change only they believe in.
  
  the problem remains that everything that makes the networks competitive will be taken OUT of this proposed Net neutrality.
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L, 21 Jun 2010 @ 8:58pm

I hate to admit but the telcos are doing a better job than the people.

Is not they have more resources, is that they are better organized and very focused on what they want, luckily people have some powerful corporate allies.

It was going to need legislation and this is a defining moment, free market doesn't do the job because those companies are able to root out the competition so there will be no competition while there is "exclusive contracts" to be made.
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Jay (profile), 21 Jun 2010 @ 11:37pm

A few questions...
How will these people allow new competitors?

What will they do so as not to throttle the network?

How will they make AT&T allow others to compete on the network?

These are the very questions that I'm sure they'll make sure to avoid.
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Anonymous Coward, 22 Jun 2010 @ 5:19am

This is how the Republicrats want things: The government enslaved to corporate interests.
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- gorehound (profile), 22 Jun 2010 @ 6:06am
  
  Re:
  the republicans are just like my banker vice president brother.
  
  1.he hates gays/lesbians
  2.thinks global warming is a plot of the liberals
  3.supports business over human beings
  4.thinks obama wants to turn us into a socialist goverment
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- Anonymous Coward, 22 Jun 2010 @ 6:09am
  
  Re:
  Funny, I thought the Democrats controlled Congress and the White House. But in the end it doesn't matter. Until they take corp money out of politics, our representatives will almost always favor big money corporate lobbyist interests before those of the people in their districts.
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- Anonymous Coward, 22 Jun 2010 @ 8:27am
  
  Re:
  Democrats are no better. Both parties are the same.
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vastrightwing, 22 Jun 2010 @ 12:13pm

Why the telecom industry loves regulation
They love it because it keeps everyone out except the few who are already there. And of course, the ones writing the regulations are the ones who will benefit most from them. Yep, this all makes perfect sense. I just hope they aren't too tough on the consumers. We are the ones who end up paying for this "regulation".
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Thomas (profile), 23 Jun 2010 @ 6:48am

Why bother..
to hire lobbyists? It's much more efficient and effective to just slip money/drugs/hookers directly to the members of Congress. That saves time and gets better results.
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Contemplationist, 23 Jun 2010 @ 8:53pm

Indeed!
Is it really any wonder that telcos are now saying they may be fine with "net neutrality" regulations? They know that they'll craft the legislation themselves, so it will benefit them.
Exactly, and yet people like you and others continue indefinitely to push for more regulation and "net neutrality." Whatever problems you can possibly imagine, I assure you a LOT LOT WORSE problems will be created if such legislation is ever enacted, or regulations ever created due to regulatory capture among other things. So, lets layoff the net neutrality BS shall we? Lets try to push for freeing up more spectrum so that different networks can be established, and compete with physical-cable-based broadband. Lets have network competition. Lets be patient. Lets NOT push for regulatory-legislative "solutions"
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