ALEC Pro-Corporate Legislation - The Dangers

People want to believe that lowly - state legislators from ho-bunk nowhere are the only ALEC threat - but it goes much bigger than that.

ALEC doesn't scare people so much if they believe that it is only dim-witted conservatives from state legislatures that are connected to ALEC.

But the danger of ALEC is much bigger than that.

It is important to remember that ALEC is the ONLY organization in current history of the United States that has a sole purpose of bringing together state and federal legislators with corporate lobbyists - behind closed doors in order to forward a pro-corporate legislation agenda. 
This entry is a perfect example of ALEC's pro-corporate federalism agenda -  which is to bring together the ALEC "model legislation" and policies from the state level and escalate it to the federal level.

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A two part series from Bruce Kushnick at HuffPo is a really good example of how ALEC forwards the agendas of corporations that are ALEC members.

This two part series should be a warning to all citizens about the preferences given of ALEC Corporate Profit Sector members in our state legislation AND our federal agency policy.

This two part series is an example of how ALEC legislative members no longer work for their constituency – but work for ALEC Corporate Sector members.

Snips

AT&T, ALEC, FCC,: The AT&T FCC Petition is ALEC Model Legislation. 

    Part 1: AT&T et al and ALEC created state-based model communications legislation which was used in many states to remove regulation and oversight.

    Part 2: ALEC state-based laws end up as principles in AT&T's petition to the FCC to close down America's utility networks.

From Part I of the series

Part 1: AT&T et al and ALEC created state-based model communications legislation which was used in many states to remove regulation and oversight.

NRRI Report, May 2013

    "Twenty-five states had passed legislation eliminating or reducing state commission authority over telecommunications by the end of the 2012 legislative sessions. By the end of 2013, this number could increase significantly, given the legislation pending in states across the country. Legislation reducing regulatory oversight (or clarifying the deregulation initiatives passed earlier) was proposed in 20 states during the 2013 legislative session... Should the majority of the legislation pending in the 2013 sessions be enacted, nearly 70% of the states will have significantly reduced or eliminated commission jurisdiction over retail telecommunications services."

 Let's connect the dots.

Starting in 2007, AT&T, Verizon, Centurylink and the cable companies, working with a group called the   …   (ALEC), created state-based model legislation and principles designed by the companies to accomplish one thing -- the removal of all regulations, obligations and oversight on the companies' businesses. As the NRRI report outlines, 25 states have removed some, if not all regulations and oversight, and there are more to come in 2013.

However, what is startling is that the three largest phone companies, covering almost every state, are now all working together using the exact same principles, talking points, legislation and even lobbying groups, such as ALEC. The ALEC state senator in Wisconsin or Florida or Connecticut all are working from the exact same playbook and are being supported by very deep pockets of companies that should have been competitors, not collaborators.

I note that in the ALEC state-based model legislation they defer the question of supplying wholesale services to competitors to the FCC's jurisdiction ---(AT&T's FCC petition completes this circle by attempting to remove all obligations to competitors.)

The communications cabal and ALEC's plan is clear; The next step is to bring the state-based model legislation to the FCC and Congress

The next step is to bring the state-based model legislation to the FCC and Congress

AND THEY DID JUST THAT

From Part II of the series

Part 2: ALEC state-based laws end up as principles in AT&T's petition to the FCC to close down America's utility networks.

In the previous post we examined the state-based ALEC model legislation that was created by AT&T et al and how it was used in some states, including Florida.

However, the ALEC model legislation was created by AT&T; the fact that AT&T filed a petition with the FCC to finish the ALEC state-based campaign at the federal level should come as no surprise.

All of these actions are based on a massive state and federal campaign that has been part of the ALEC legislation and principles, which were crafted by AT&T and the other companies

What are we to make of all this? AT&T's own words clearly show that this plot is deep and disturbing as it a massive state and federal campaign to shut down America's utilities. And it's clear that neither the FCC nor the state commissions are capable of protecting the public interest.

Listen up folks

it's clear that neither the FCC nor the state commissions are capable of protecting the public interest.

Every time you pay a $200 cable bill or a $200 phone bill - remember that you have done that to yourself by allowing your state legislator to participate in ALEC and sit behind closed doors in secret meetings with the telecomm company lobbyists - writing pro-corporate legislation..

THE ONLY REASON THIS IS POSSIBLE

is because

you allow your legislators to belong to ALEC

you allow your legislators to attend ALEC meetings and bring back corporate written legislation back to your state..

This is another blatant example of how the pro-corporate extremist “model legislation” of the American Legislative Exchange Council moves effortlessly from state to federal venues – manipulating the market in favor of ALEC corporate members through the use of ALEC legislation.