AT&T gave $62K to lawmakers months before vote to limit muni broadband

A Missouri legislative committee recently approved a bill that would limit the spread of municipal broadband networks, helping private Internet service providers such as AT&T avoid competition. A few months before that vote, AT&T donated a total of $62,500 to political committees in Missouri. This included $20,000 to the House Republican Campaign Committee, $20,000 to the Missouri Democratic State Committee, $7,500 to the Missouri Republican Party, and $15,000 to the Missouri Senate Campaign Committee (apparently a Republican group). One of the donations is listed by the Missouri Ethics Commission as occurring just two weeks ago, but apparently it was as made in September 2015 and not deposited until Feb because the original check was lost. The donations were made before the legislature went into session; AT&T's policy is to not make contributions during legislative sessions. AT&T gave similar amounts in previous years. CenturyLink, which also supports restrictions on municipal broadband, gave $6,000 to the Missouri Senate Campaign Committee in November 2015. CenturyLink opposed a municipal broadband network in Columbia, Missouri, in 2014.