What Does AT&T Want for Its "Old" $1M "Gift" to Bobby Rush's Charity?

Posted by Scott - September 28, 2006 (entry 433)

(Updated 5/8) Though the severely warped Barton-Rush House telecom bill (H.R. 5252) passed in the commerce committee, there is much to be hopeful about (click here). However, the corporate media, with the possible exceptions of the Chicago Sun-Times and the New York Times, and only a couple others, are faltering badly at detailing the destructive statutory provisions telecom megaliths like SBC/AT&T want. Yet the legislative process is obscured for other reasons as well and is in an unpredictable state of flux. The free and nondiscriminatory flow of communications is essential to the functioning of any democracy. These things mandate our close attention.

Let's hope that we can look back and say that the Chicago Sun-Times helped begin to turn the tide on this awful bill and its Senate and other brethren. On Tuesday April 25th, I thanked the paper's Washington Bureau Chief Lynn Sweet for her excellent article that day on Barton-Rush (H.R. 5252). She responded to my request for Sun-Times followup on media reform issues in part by writing an article focusing on Rush's ethics and this in her blog:

"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 his community center.

Save the Internet! http://www.savetheinternet.com/"


It would help if more daily papers would monkey the Sun-Times and other outlets. It is truly sad that, to date, no mainstream coverage, except Sweet's April 25th article, details both Rush's ethics and those of the telcos.

Additional coverage of this issue available through local media here includes an editorial, a technical article, and a column by Mary Mitchell in the Chicago Sun-Times for a total of five "hits" there, and pieces in the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tonight on WTTW-TV, NPR Morning Edition heard on WBEZ-FM, Cliff Kelley on WVON-AM, and Democracy Now!, available through CAN-TV, WRTE-FM, WLUW-FM and WZRD-FM. An AP wire story did originate out of Chicago.

Save Access! Save PEG Community Media! Keep the Internet Open! Defend Local Control! Stop Red-Lining in Our Communities! http://www.saveaccess.org/


Visit "About Scott Sanders: Who IS this Guy?"
Feedback? Information? Email me: scott(at)chicagomediaaction.org

DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed on this website are those of the individual members of Chicago Media Action who authored them, and not necessarily those of the entire membership of Chicago Media Action, nor of Chicago Media Action as an organization.

FAIR USE NOTICE: This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.