roundtable: A Balance of Corporate Interests
roundtable: A Balance of Corporate Interests
A Balance of Corporate Interests
Vigdor Schreibman - FINS (fins@access.digex.net)
Fri, 16 Jun 1995 22:38:30 -0400 (EDT)
Date: Fri, 16 Jun 1995 22:38:30 -0400 (EDT)
From: Vigdor Schreibman - FINS <fins@access.digex.net>
To: Vigdor Schreibman - FINS <fins@access.digex.net>
Subject: A Balance of Corporate Interests
Message-Id: <Pine.SUN.3.91.950616223639.19891D-100000@access4.digex.net>
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FINS: Communicating the Emerging Philosophy of The Information Age
FEDERAL INFORMATION NEWS SYNDICATE
Vol III, Issue No. 12 (120 lines) June 19, 1995
READ THIS ISSUE OF FINS TO CONSIDER:
* Telecom Legislation Passes Senate Overwhelmingly
* The Corporations Are Feasting High on the Hog
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CLOSING THE "VALUES-GAP":
A Balance of Corporate Interests
By Vigdor Schreibman
An especially precious set of interests of all human beings are those of
exercising their sensory powers of sight and hearing, and their cognitive
powers of reading, informing, reasoning, learning, self-expression, and
interacting with others. The functions of institutions that encourage and
facilitate those highly sensitive human interests, define who we are as a
people. They have as powerful an influence over our lives as language itself,
and the parents, teachers, schools, libraries, and religious institutions
that tell us the defining stories of life, giving meaning to human existence.
The global "information superhighways" that are now being constructed
could radically change all those relations and meanings, and the institutions
that most influence them. In reforming the telecommunications systems of the
United States, Congress is not just deregulating another business enterprise.
A contract with America of that profound significance requires full
participation by all citizens. The infrastructure that is to be developed
must adequately serve all those interests--economic, social, environmental.
Nevertheless, legislation for transformation of the telecommunications
industry passed by the US Senate last Thursday evening [S.652], by an
overwhelming vote of 81 yeas and 12 nays, was a disquieting example of the
lack of sensitivity of American politics. The bill passed by the Senate was
not a contract with America, responsive to the whole set of interests of all
Americans. It was, instead, as Sen. Robert Kerrey (D-NE) indicated on the
floor of the Senate, "a contract with 100 corporations in America."
Among the most egregious likely effects of the bill passed by Congress:
* $20 to $40 billion transfer of wealth from residential ratepayers to
corporate centers of power;
* Consolidation of radio and television stations into a few oligopolies;
* Deregulation of cable television and expected skyrocketing of charges;
* Expansion of monopoly powers of the Bell Companies into long distance
service;
* Consolidation of telephone and cable operators in places that have
fewer than 50,000 inhabitants.
* Establishment of a "monster model" of telecommunication combining
content and conduit and ending common carrier service;
* Disregard for the public goods essential to a democratic society,
pervasive censorship on the Net, and the end of privacy.
Americans did not call for telecommunications reform, nor did the people
participate in any meaningful way in the process of formulating and enacting
the law that will establish the global infrastructure for that purpose. The
contract is designed, instead, to serve primarily the "Robber Barons Of The
'90s," as Common Cause, a citizens lobbying group, describe them: the four
major telecommunications industries involved in the legislative battle--local
telephone service, long distance service providers, broadcasters, and cable
television companies. In a report released June 8, 1995 Common Cause told
how those industries, which stand to gain the most from telecommunications
reform, gave $39.5 million in political contribution during the past decade.
Ed Davis, at Common Cause, told FINS that "This is legislation that has
been shaped by those who have the money to shape the process." Davis added,
"the campaign finance system, which makes this possible, is corrupt." Mike
Roberts of Educom, confirmed, "That process is heavily influenced by PAC
money and other forms of contributions." James Love of Taxpayers Assets
Project said one public interest group told him, "they had to pay $1,000 for
a 10 minute meeting with Jack Fields (House Telecom Subcommittee, chairman).
That's pretty much what is going on." Love added, "The senate has been
particularly bad, where money seems more important than ideology."
Brad Stillman, of the Consumer Federation of America stated, "The public
interest often went unheard and when it was heard it was generally ignored in
favor of the various business interests. This is classic special interest
legislation. Go section by section through the bill and you see that each
industry sector got the thing it wanted most ... The only thing the consumers
got is the bill." Deal making got so heavy that Time Warner was able to
arranged an agreement for removal of program access provisions of the bill
directly with Sen. Pressler, chairman of the Commerce Committee. Correspon-
dence of the quid pro quo was later repudiated, but several Senators [Exon,
Byrd, Graham, and Kerrey] expressed their dismay over this "outrage," and the
lack of concern for the public interest. Rick Weingarten, former director of
the Office of Technology Assessment, now of Computing Research Association,
speaking for himself, said, "I'm personally incredibly depressed about the
level and state of the debate. The pigs are really attacking the trough."
Marc Rotenberg, of Electronic Privacy Information Center related how,
"the collective interests of the nation were shut out of this lopsided
arrangement... the bill passed by the Senate today ... is a blueprint for
hi-tech feudalism." Rotenberg, strikes the core issue when he observed,
"political leaders elected in 1994 on a wave of populism, promised to return
the government to the people, [but] they chose instead to turn the government
and the nation's communications infrastructure over to their wealthy
contributors and corporate backers." Much like the citizen of Eastern Europe,
Americans must liberate their own country, now lost to illegitimate powers.
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