How Much Money Big Cable Gave the Politicians Who Oversee the Internet

Minutes after President Obama uncover his architectural plan for net neutrality yesterday , Republicans leadership likeTed Cruz came out sweep . you could chalk up the recoil to more than just partisan spite ; Cruz has taken his share of cause money from telecommunication giants . And he ’s far from the exclusion .

Democrats and Republicans alike experience over $ 8 million from the four major telecommunication companies and their trade mathematical group in the 2014 election alone . For some context , thetop five pharmaceutic groupsspent only half as much in the same cycle .

It ’s no big surprisal that corporation throw their monetary weight unit around . But it is especially worry when the FCC isalready cozy with the very industryit ’s supposed to regulate . Who , in good turn , is supposed to verify the FCC does its chore ? Why , that ’s your elected official of the SenateSubcommittee on Communications , Technology , and the Internetand the HouseSubcommittee on Communications and Technology — almost all of whom have welcome political campaign funds from cable behemoth .

We ’ve collected all the effort contributions to these politician from Comcast , Time Warner Cable , Verizon , AT&T , and their trade group the National Cable and Telecommunications Association ( NCTA ) . These are megacorporations with many political interests — including piracy , taxes , privacy , and spectrum storage allocation to name just a few — so their donation achieve a wider pool than just these subcommittee members . But it ’s firmly not to observe patterns , such as the trade group ’s near - consistent donation of $ 10,000 to almost every Republican member of the House subcommittee .

Here is exactly how much telecommunication gave to the election and reelection campaigns of the politicians task with overseeing the FCC .

Senate Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet

The only senator on the subcommittee who has not take money from the telecom industry is Maria Cantwell of Washington . It ’s credibly no coincidence that back in 2011 , she introduce a handbill to strengthennet neutrality rules .

On the other hand , the money lead is always so exculpated either . Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts , another vocal supporter of nett disinterest , received the most generous donation from Comcast in the 2014 election . Yesterday , he call in Obama ’s plan a ” secret plan changer . ” It may be that Comcast ’s donations were touch to other political issues , or it may simply be money can only bribe you so much influence with a politician who ’s made up his intellect .

House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology

Telecom money is greasing many pockets in the House , but it may beworth pointing outMarsha Blackburn of Tennessee , a Republican who has called net neutrality rules “ socialistic . ” She alsointroduced an amendmentto limit the FCC ’s force to help create community broadband internet that compete with big cable companies .

The Long, Convoluted Money Trail

But these numbers do n’t even paint the whole video . Corporations can also donate to a nominee ’s associated leadership Political Action Committee ( PAC ) , whose money the candidate doles out for the campaigns of political allies .

Take , for object lesson , the event of Senator Mark Pryor , chairman of the senate subcommittee . In this election cycles/second , Pryor received$10,000from Comcast itself . His PAC , call Priority PAC , in reality clear another$27,500from Comcast .

But waitress — we can keep playing this game — that ’s not all . The Federal Election Commission also tracks the employer of somebody who chip in to military campaign . This might not seem relevant , until you see that from 2013 to 2014 Pryor received$30,750from employee of Comcast , all of eight of whom areComcast executives . In aggregate , Comcast has in reality spend $ 70,650 on Pryor , becoming hissecond biggest contributor . For his part , the senator hasnever made a potent stanceon last neutrality .

If it all seems puzzling , yes , that is deliberate . If it all seems like a way to obfuscate incisively how much money is going where , yes , that is deliberate , too .

Pryor , by the way , drop off his bid for reelection last week . What his exit and the GOP coup of the Senate will mean for the return still remains to be see . But you may look on plenitude of money slush around on the Hill .

Correction : The charts in this post have been updated to adjust for math errors .

Note on methodological analysis : Since senators are elect every six years , the Senate chart includes data from 2010 , 2012 , and 2014 to account for safari contribution to every extremity . The House chart includes only the 2014 elections . All datum follow from FEC text file compile by theCenter for Responsive Politics .

Top image by Jim Cooke

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