Lynn Sweet of the Sun-Times writes today of a "$1 million grant from the charitable arm of SBC/AT&T" to a community center founded by Congressman Bobby Rush (IL-01)
She points out that:
On Wednesday, the energy and commerce panel on which Rush sits is set to vote on a controversial rewrite of telecommunications law co-sponsored by Rush and backed by major phone companies eager to compete with cable television companies.
Yes, this is the nortorious "Barton-Rush bill" where Rush was one of the Democrats on the Committee who voted against a provision guaranteeing "net neutrality".
Sweet continues:
Rush, asked to explain whether he had a conflict in sponsoring telecommunications legislation in the wake of the grant, replied in a statement that the "real conflict" stems from inequities in the telecommunications marketplace that hurt the poor
Since his bill is geared primarily to relieving the "inequities" that hurt the telecos, apparently "pay-back" for the "poor" is coming through backdoor channels like the community center.
When the Teleco Cartel flexs its muscles, this is one of the ways they do it.
Save the Internet! Save the Internet! Save the Internet!