ISPs Spent $101M to Kill Net Neutrality: Which Pols Got the Cash?

Big telecommunications companies that control access to the internet for hundreds of millions of Americans donated more than $101 million to politicians who oppose net neutrality rules, according to the advocacy group Battle for the Net, which has put together an interactive “scorecard” showing how much cash went to each opponent of net neutrality in the United States Congress. After the Republican-controlled Federal Communications Commission voted in December to repeal net neutrality—the rules that guarantee equal treatment for all internet traffic and prohibit internet service providers from charging premium prices to avoid data blockages—the Senate voted in May by a narrow 52-47 margin to override the FCC’s move and keep the open internet rules in place. Now, the House must also vote, but Republican Speaker Paul Ryan has shown no indication that he will allow that vote to take place. Democrats are now circulating a petition that, under House rules, would force a vote if 218 reps ink the document by January. So far, 177—including but a single Republican—have signed on. "There's hardly a better example of classic corruption in Washington than members of Congress voting against net neutrality when polls show that constituents overwhelmingly support it," said Evan Greer, director of Fight for the Future—one of the groups behind Battle for the Net—told the site Mashable. "It's really important for voters to know where their representatives stand, but it's equally important to know why." A poll taken by Morning Consult in May showed across-the-board support for net neutrality rules, with 60 percent of registered voters—including 62 percent of Democrats, 63 percent of Republicans and 57 percent of independents—saying that they support the regulations. So where do the reps stand, and why? The Battle for the Net scorecard may be accessed at this link. But some of the highlights include: • Ryan himself, who according to the scorecard has received $722,646 in campaign cash from big ISP corporations. • California Rep, Kevin McCarthy, the House majority leader likely to succeed the retiring Ryan as speaker if the GOP holds on to the House majority in the midterm elections. McCarthy has received $676,850 in donations from the telecommunications firms that control the internet, according to Battle for the Net. • Tennesse Rep. Marsha Blackburn, also a Republican, whom the tech site Motherboard called “congress's biggest opponent of net neutrality” and an “indisputable lackey for some of the least-liked and least-competitive companies in America.” Blackburn has consumed $600,999 from telecom companies, the scorecard says. What does the cash-fueled congressional opposition to net neutrality mean for consumers of online porn? As AVN.com reported in June—the end of a free ride, most likely. With 37 percent of all online data reportedly consumed by porn, but only four percent of porn consumers actually paying to view porn on the ‘net, porn fans represent a hugely significant source of untapped revenue that ISPs will be keen to exploit. Photo by Maria Merkulova / Flicker Creative Commons