May 2005 | Hightower Lowdown

The Greed of Telecom Giants

by Jim Hightower

In case you have any doubt that corporations will always protect their private profit interests at the public’s expense, take note of a stealth lobbying campaign that giant phone companies and cable providers are waging in state legislatures.

At issue is the obvious public interest in assuring high-speed Internet connections are available to all citizens. Local governments in cities from San Francisco to Philadelphia, and in small towns from Spanish Fork, Utah, to Kutztown, Pa., have stepped up to meet this need, providing universal Internet access to their citizens and small businesses. “We didn’t want to be a second-class city,” says an official in Spanish Fork, “and that’s what’s going to happen if you don’t have high-speed Internet.”

Good for them—enterprising public leadership has always helped America advance. But the likes of Verizon, SBC, Comcast and Bell South have unleashed their lobbyists on the land to throw a wrench in the works. Using deep-pocket campaign donations and lobbying clout, they’re soliciting state legislators across the country to pass industry-written bills that make it illegal for local governments to provide this essential service. These giants who sell Internet access want to ban any competition from municipal providers, claiming that government has no business in their business.

But city officials and consumer advocates point out that these corporations have no interest in providing the public with a universal service. The industry simply ignores rural areas and lower-income neighborhoods, while simultaneously pricing their Internet access beyond the reach of regular folks. If these aloof, faraway giants won’t provide the service that everyone needs, then the locals must... and will.

A grassroots movement has sprung up to defend the public interest against telecom greed. To join in, call Consumers Union 202.462.6262 or go to www.hearusnow.org.

©2005 Jim Hightower and Associates. Jim Hightower is a columnist and author.
Visit www.jimhightower.com.

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