FCC is a Captured Agency

Important to know this about the Federal Communications Commission FCC.

The following is from The Environmental Health Trust, a a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization focused on environmental health research, policy advice and support. About page.

“The FCC Is a Captured Agency: Commissioners Are Former Wireless Industry Insiders“

The FCC is “Captured” by Wireless Companies

The FCC is a captured agency, exemplifying the way industry controls the agencies that supposedly regulate them.

The Harvard Edmund J. Safra Center for Ethics published an expose by investigative journalist Norm Alster on the wireless industry ties to the US federal government’s Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and how, as a result, the wireless industry has bought inordinate access to—and power over—a major US regulatory agency. Alster describes how the FCC is a “captured agency” meaning it is controlled by the industry it is supposed to be regulating—like the wolf watching the henhouse.

At the FCC, former wireless company lawyers and lobbyists lead the agency as commissioners. Former FCC commissioners and top agency officials take jobs in the industry they used to regulate. It is a high-speed revolving door, and it spins for both political parties.

As a prime example of the situation, in 2020 the FCC filed a brief siding with the wireless industry in its case against the City of Berkeley for its Cell Phone Right To Know Ordinance. The FCC lawyer named on the brief was Thomas Johnson, a lawyer who formerly worked for the law firm that the CTIA Wireless Industry hired to represent them in their case against Berkeley.

Documentation

Captured Agency by Harvard Edmund J. Safra Center for Ethics

New Hampshire State Commission for 5G Health and Environment Final Report

Image from Harvard Book “Captured Agency”

The FCC is a Captured Agency, exemplifying the revolving door between industry and government.

The Harvard book Captured Agency has a graphic on the revolving door between industry and government stating, “Wireless and cable companies have the FCC covered.”

The FCC Commissioners past and present are part of the revolving door between industry, government, and the law firms attacking our right to know about wireless radiation. Furthermore, several FCC commissioners/lead staff previously worked for law firms (Wiley Rein and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher) that represented the wireless industry in cell phone brain cancer cases, and the wireless industry’s fight to stop laws that inform consumers about cell phone radiation. Wiley Rein represented the wireless industry against the City of San Francisco and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher represented the wireless industry against the City of Berkeley.

CONGRESS TOOK $101 MILLION IN DONATIONS FROM THE ISP INDUSTRY — HERE’S HOW MUCH YOUR LAWMAKER GOT”

Comcast, Verizon, AT&T, and others spread their money far and wide to influence your government

By T.C. Sottek and The Center for Responsive Politics Dec 11, 2017

An article in the Verge detailed contributions to individual members of Congress, and those members’ leadership PACs, from 1989 to the present day. This data was prepared for The Verge by The Center for Responsive Politics: an independent, non-partisan nonprofit research group that tracks money in US politics and its effect on elections and public policy.

Read this article online to look your elected official up.

Wireless and Tech company lobbying

“101 Million lifetime contributions from the telecommunications industry to sitting members of Congress and their leadership PACs, between 1989 and 2017” AT&T, Comcast, and Verizon were the big three who donated to sitting members of Congress and their leadership PACs, between 1989 and 2017. –“CONGRESS TOOK $101 MILLION IN DONATIONS FROM THE ISP INDUSTRY — HERE’S HOW MUCH YOUR LAWMAKER GOT” by The Center for Responsive Politics, 2017

“In 2019, eight of the top US telecom companies spent a total of $67.36 million on lobbying, according to numbers from the nonprofit research group the Center for Responsive Politics using data gathered from the Senate Office of Public Records as of January 23, 2020.”

-Sue Marek 2020 Light Reading “Comcast, AT&T, Verizon lead $67M in telecom lobbying in 2019”

“The tech industry has become one of the biggest spenders in Washington and is rivaling traditional lobbying powerhouses, including the pharmaceutical industry and big business lobbies.”

-Eric Newcomer and Ben Brody, 2020 Bloomberg

Top Spenders

“Internet service providers in the United States have spent more than $1.2 billion on lobbying since 1998, and 2018 was the biggest year so far with a total spend of more than $80 million…Top spenders include AT&T, Verizon, and Comcast, which have amassed lobbying expenses of $341 million, $265 million, and $200 million, respectively since 1998.”- Paul Bischoff from CompariTech