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.Filed Under: lobbyists, regulatory capture, telco reform
