Press Release
Rep. Joe Barton Stands with the ‘Small People’ at BP, Comcast and AT&T
Contact: Timothy Karr, 201-533-8838
WASHINGTON -- In a letter today, Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas), along with Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.), requested hearings on the “legal validity and policy consequences” of the Federal Communications Commission’s efforts to restore its own authority over broadband providers. Rep. Barton claimed the effort will hinder the free market and threaten investment, jobs and broadband deployment.
Josh Silver, Free Press president and CEO, made the following statement:
"This morning Mr. Barton apologized to BP because the oil giant was asked to set up a fund to pay for the spill in the Gulf of Mexico. This afternoon, he writes a letter on behalf of Comcast, AT&T and Verizon, demanding that the Federal Communications Commission stand down from their oversight of the nation’s communications networks. The problem we’re facing isn’t a government takeover of the Internet; it’s a corporate takeover of Congress by armies of industry lobbyists that corruptly influence policymaking.”
Josh Silver, Free Press president and CEO, made the following statement:
"This morning Mr. Barton apologized to BP because the oil giant was asked to set up a fund to pay for the spill in the Gulf of Mexico. This afternoon, he writes a letter on behalf of Comcast, AT&T and Verizon, demanding that the Federal Communications Commission stand down from their oversight of the nation’s communications networks. The problem we’re facing isn’t a government takeover of the Internet; it’s a corporate takeover of Congress by armies of industry lobbyists that corruptly influence policymaking.”
