The dKos community seems to be waking up to the danger posed to our continued existence by the attack on Net neutrality by Big Telecom. Specifically, a few of us have been sounding the alarm about Texas Republican Joe Barton's bill which, (contrary to what a committee staffer told me last week) is now scheduled for a committee vote
tomorrow. But there has been some debate here about whether Net neutrality is a partisan issue. Debate no longer, folks.
From the
Chicago Sun Times:
WASHINGTON -- An Englewood community center founded by Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.), a key player on telecommunications legislation, received a $1 million grant from the charitable arm of SBC/AT&T, one of the nation's largest phone companies.
The chief of a congressional watchdog group says Rush's ongoing association with the Rebirth of Englewood Community Development Corporation and his role in shaping telecommunications law as a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee is a conflict of interest. Using charitable giving as a backdoor way to curry favor with lawmakers is coming under increasing scrutiny, figuring in controversies associated with former Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) and Rep. Alan Mollohan (D-W.Va.), who was forced to temporarily step aside as the ranking Democrat on the Ethics panel.
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.
In addition to Rush, five more Democrats voted in favor of this disaster in subcommittee: Elliot Engel: NY-17 Bart Stupak: MI-01 Ed Towns: NY-10 Al Wynn: MD-04, and Charlie Gonzales: TX-20. What was the price tag was on their support?
Q.E.D., y'all. There are enemies of the Internet on both sides of the aisle.
For more on this issue, go here, or here. And get off your squabbling asses and do something.