[Infowarrior] - Comcast ghostwrote pro-merger letters that politicians sent to FCC

[Richard Forno]

Comcast ghostwrote pro-merger letters that politicians sent to FCC

Pre-written letters made it easy for politicians to support Comcast/TWC merger.

by Jon Brodkin - Jan 26 2015, 2:15pm EST

http://arstechnica.com/business/2015/01/comcast-ghostwrote-pro-merger-letters-that-politicians-sent-to-fcc/

Comcast has been supported by many politicians in its bid to acquire Time Warner Cable, but the testimonials from elected officials aren't quite as organic as the cable company would have you believe.

A report today by The Verge, based on documents obtained through public records requests, shows that in August three politicians sent letters to the Federal Communications Commission that were ghostwritten by Comcast. We reported several months ago that letters from politicians closely mimicked Comcast talking points and re-used Comcast's own statements without attribution, and the documents revealed today show just how Comcast was able to get politicians on board.

"For instance, a letter sent to the FCC by a town councilman from the small community of Jupiter, Florida was in fact largely orchestrated by some of the biggest players in corporate telecom," The Verge wrote. "Not only do records show that a Comcast official sent the councilman the exact wording of the letter he would submit to the FCC, but also that finishing touches were put on the letter by a former FCC official named Rosemary Harold, who is now a partner at one of the nation’s foremost telecom law firms in Washington, DC. Comcast has enlisted Harold to help persuade her former agency to approve the proposed merger."

An e-mail chain shows how that letter from Jupiter Councilor Todd Wodraska came to be, with Comcast providing a draft of the letter and filing instructions.

"Comcast has been a major component in Jupiter’s business and technological development over the past several years," the letter to the FCC said. "I am writing today to voice my support for the Comcast and Time Warner Cable transaction because it has the potential to greatly benefit many communities like ours. I strive to preserve Jupiter’s unique coastal-style of living while providing top-notch innovation and commodities for our residents."

The Verge also detailed how a letter from Oregon Secretary of State Kate Brown "was almost wholly written by a Comcast Government Affairs specialist." The other politician featured in the story was Mayor Jere Wood of Roswell, Georgia, whose letter to the FCC was written word for word by "a vice president of external affairs at Comcast."

Brown has received $9,500 from Comcast in donations, according to the National Institute on Money in State Politics.

When contacted by Ars, Comcast VP of Government Communications Sena Fitzmaurice provided the same statement previously sent to The Verge: “We reached out to policy makers, community leaders, business groups, and others across the country to detail the public interest benefits of our transaction with Time Warner Cable. When such leaders indicate they’d like to support our transaction in public filings, we’ve provided them with information on the transaction. All filings are ultimately decided upon by the filers, not Comcast.”

Fitzmaurice also noted that merger opponents have submitted comments to the FCC using text written by advocacy groups. "How many of the anti-deal comments are completely written by the opponents? Thousands," she wrote in an e-mail.

Most people would hope politicians could write their own letters or at least submit letters written by their staffs rather than Comcast, though. Advocacy groups generally haven't made any secret of their signature gathering tactics, even issuing press releases boasting that as many as 400,000 people signed petitions urging regulators to reject the merger.

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