Lobbyist Spending: The Bells Are Ringing

[SOURCE: National Journal's Insider Update, AUTHOR: Bara Vaida]
As the USTelecom Association this week unveiled a new round of television advertisements to maintain their push for an overhaul of the 1996 Telecommunications Act, recently filed documents show just how much the deep-pocketed group spent lobbying Capitol Hill during the first half of 2005. Between Jan. 1 and June 30, the group -- which primarily represents the interests of local phone carriers such as former “Baby Bells” Verizon Communications and SBC Communications -- spent $11.44 million lobbying, according to Lobbying Disclosure Act documents provided by the organization. For all of 2004, the USTelecom Association spent $14.78 million in lobby fees, according to the organization’s Website. USTelecomm’s increase in spending occurred in tandem with the lobbying push that has been made by BellSouth, Verizon and SBC over the past year to advocate for dramatic regulatory changes in the 1996 Telecommunications Act. The spending paid off on Sept. 15 -- when the House Energy and Commerce Committee released a draft version of a Telecom Act update.
http://www.njtelecomupdate.com/lenya/telco/live/tb-WKNU1115070261210.html