Illinois Campaign for Political Reform: Telecom Political Giving Is Up 47% at Illinois Capitol
Posted on: Friday, 15 April 2005, 12:00 CDT
CHICAGO, April 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Illinois' telecommunications industry has undergone a sea change in just the last two years, and if some telecom companies get their way, it is about to change again. A wave of mergers and acquisitions has changed the dynamics of telecom lobbying and campaign giving as former rivals have swallowed each other and new companies pursue different strategies. Whether telecom consumers are well served by all of these changes remains to be seen, but political giving by the industry has soared 46.6% since 1999-2000.
Previous battles have turned on whether SBC and other local service providers could enter the long distance market, and under what conditions and at what price competitors could force local companies to lease space in their cables. This year, the industry seems to have agreed that deregulation is preferable to continued legislative fights. A measure advancing now in the Illinois Senate, SB1700, would eliminate state oversight of service quality and rates.
Giving by the industry is generally bi-partisan, and has become moreso since the Democrats took control of both legislative chambers and the governor's office. Because of the many mergers in recent years, it is difficult to compare giving by company across election cycles, but giving by the industry as a whole has grown appreciably. In 1999-2000, the industry gave $1.4 million to candidates. In 2001-2002, total contributions grew 12.5%, to $1.6 million. In 2003-2004, total giving soared again, up 30% over 2001-2002 to $2.1 million. Whether or not consolidation ensures a competitive marketplace that will benefit consumers remains to be seen. But in Illinois' system of unlimited campaign contributions, giving to public officials continues to grow dramatically.
For more on telecom giving, including the largest donors and recipients of telecom political contributions in Illinois, please visit http://www.ilcampaign.org/ .
CONTACT: David Morrison of ICPR, +1-312-335-1767
Illinois Campaign for Political Reform
CONTACT: David Morrison of ICPR, +1-312-335-1767
Web site: http://www.ilcampaign.org/
Source: PRNewswire
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