Then in a series of side letters and backroom deals, congressional leaders made clear to the FCC that they wanted this spectrum to be given to the broadcasters for free, and by no later than this month. These key Members received nearly three times as much money, on average, as those not on these committees. These totals fail to capture everything the broadcasters gave. They do not include contributions from individual broadcasters other than a small group of the top corporate executives. And they do not include soft money donations to state political parties.
Broadcasters are also well connected to Washington insiders .
Our report shows that lobbying firms representing broadcast interests are filled with former Members of Congress and former congressional staff. And just in case all this money wasn t enough to get their way, broadcasters could also rely on their power to control what the public sees back home both what the public sees about each Member of Congress and what it sees about this corporate welfare story itself. Although some newspapers and magazines reported this extraordinary rip-off of the public, there was almost no coverage of this story by the broadcasters themselves. Although there will be no auction of the public airwaves, broadcasters should not be given this huge gift of public property without the public receiving something in return. Broadcasters continue to have an obligation to serve the public interest in exchange for their free use of the public airwaves, a duty that is a long-standing and well recognized part of the law.