Tell the Truth, Terry.
Feb 08, 12:19 PM CST
Lee Terry would like Nebraskans to believe that he doesn’t receive donations from major corporations that might influence his Congressional votes. He even enjoys making broad statements to the Lincoln Journal Star about not accepting donations from Wall Street.
Lee Terry, however, seems to have forgotten who actually gives to his campaigns, which subcommittees he serves on, and how donations might influence his vote. With all of Washington’s special interests that pony up for his campaigns, it’s no surprise he’s been caught quite literally speaking for lobbyists. When it’s time for Terry to represent Nebraska, he’s a puppet of major corporations. For example, Terry is currently a member of the House Energy Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and, the Internet.
What does this mean?
This subcommittee oversees and regulates all telecommunication and information transmission by broadcast, radio, wire, microwave, satellite. From corporate mergers to competition among cell phones companies, this committee wields power over the burgeoning communications market.
The House Energy Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and, the Internet recently held a hearing about the planned merger of NBC Universal (owned by General Electric) and Comcast, two of the largest communications companies in the U.S. This potential merger will reshape the broadcast market place by combining a cable company with a television network, and it holds serious ramifications like the ability to charge for viewership to the control of broadband internet.
The date of the Comcast-NBC Universal hearing was Thursday, February 4, 2010.
Funny how Lee Terry received $2,000 from General Electric’s (owner of NBC Universal) PAC and $2,500 from Comcast’s PAC in 2009 just as this hearing approached.
Who else has donated to Lee Terry?
Take a look at a sampling of donations Terry has received from the PACs of communications companies over the last twelve years as he’s served on the House Energy Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and, the Internet:
•$1,000 from Aliant Communications
•$14,000 from Alltel
•$2,500 from Amazon
•$6,500 from American Cable Association
•$11,000 from American Teleservices
•$2,000 from ASCAP
•$22,500 from AT&T
•$8,500 from BellSouth
•$1,000 from CBS Corporation
•$3,500 from Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association
•$4,000 from Century Telephone
•$1,000 from Charter Communications
•$20,500 from Cingular
•$7,000 from Clear Channel
•$14,500 from Comcast
•$1,000 from Commonwealth Telephone
•$3,500 from Consolidated Communications
•$1,000 from Cricket
•$13,000 from Echostar
•$1,000 from Eschelon Telecom
•$7,000 from General Electric
•$1,000 from Iowa Telecommunications
•$2,300 from ITTA PAC
•$9,000 from Level 3 Communications
•$10,500 from Microsoft
•$13,000 from Motorola
•$2,500 from National Cable Television Association
•$12,991 from National Telecommunications Cooperative
•$25,032 from National Association of Broadcasters
•$33,025 from National Cable & Telecommunications Assn.
•$4,500 from News America (aka the Fox News PAC)
•$3,000 from Pappas Telecasting
•$42,826 from Qwest
•$2,311 from Recording Industry Association
•$2,000 from Sony Pictures
•$8,000 from Sprint
•$4,000 from T-Mobile
•$4,700 from TDS Telecommunications
•$2,500 from Telecommunications Industry Assn. Broadband PAC
•$9,000 from Time Warner
•$8,500 from United States Telecom Association
•$1,000 from Universal Music Group
•$1,000 from Universal Studios
•$27,000 from Verizon
•$2,000 from Viacom
•$6,500 from Walt Disney Productions
•$1,000 from Warner Music
•$3,500 from Western Wireless
•$1,000 from Windstream
•$2,000 from Yahoo!
For a total of $391,685* – all from communication corporations.
*This total does include the thousands of dollars contributed to Lee Terry by such individual donors as the CEOs of Univision Radio, Lackawaxen Telephone Co., Viacom, and Policy Communications, Inc.
$391,685 sure does add up to a lot of votes on a subcommittee.
So Wall Street wasn’t donating to his campaign? Right. From Verizon, to Time Warner, to Viacom, to Sony Music, Lee Terry hasn’t met a communications corporation he didn’t like. You are tied to Wall Street, Lee Terry.
Don’t you think it’s time to tell the truth, Lee Terry?
Links:
LJS: Lee Terry says stimulus mostly a waste
– by Missy Wigley | Send this to a friend
