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

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


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  1. identicon
    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.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  2. This comment has been flagged by the community. Click here to show it
    identicon
    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.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  3. identicon
    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.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  4. identicon
    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?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  5. identicon
    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?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  6. icon
    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.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  7. identicon
    Bob, 21 Jun 2010 @ 8:29pm

    Well said Mr. Buckley,

    Well said Mr. Buckley.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  8. identicon
    Bzzzzzzzzzz, 21 Jun 2010 @ 8:31pm

    Re:

    "for a smart guy mike you sure are dense at times."

    lowercase coward thinks he is smart ....

    link to this | view in thread ]

  9. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 21 Jun 2010 @ 8:39pm

    better than the RIAA

    at least they're embracing change

    link to this | view in thread ]

  10. identicon
    DCX2, 21 Jun 2010 @ 8:50pm

    Re:

    You appear to be making the mistaken assumption that government employees are competent.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  11. identicon
    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.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  12. identicon
    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.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  13. identicon
    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.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  14. icon
    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.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  15. icon
    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.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  16. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 22 Jun 2010 @ 5:19am

    This is how the Republicrats want things: The government enslaved to corporate interests.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  17. icon
    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

    link to this | view in thread ]

  18. identicon
    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.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  19. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 22 Jun 2010 @ 8:27am

    Re:

    Democrats are no better. Both parties are the same.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  20. identicon
    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".

    link to this | view in thread ]

  21. icon
    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.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  22. identicon
    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"

    link to this | view in thread ]


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