Across our land Several organizations that claim to be consumer groups, think tanks and independent research firms, are in actuality, vocalizing their opinions while being heavily funded by various telecom companies who stand to benefit from enacted cable franchising reform legislation. However, when you look back at their statements in the media, they have recently changed their tune in support of interests specific to telecom companies. Supporting materials:

American Consumer Institute Stephen Pociask is an economist who once worked for Bell Atlantic. [Communications Daily, 10/27/99] [W]hile [Stephen] Pociask said [American Consumer Institutes's] funding comes from individual donations and newsletter subscriptions: ACI patron New Millennium Research Council, which has undisputed Bell ties, does list [former FCC Common Carrier Bureau Chief Larry Darby] among its contributing scholars and experts, a Hill staffer told us. It's a "different instrument in the same symphony," the staffer said. [Communications Daily, 6/20/06] To bolster its arguments, BellSouth commissioned a study that found Alabama customers could save as much as $360 million annually if the company were allowed to offer long distance here. Stephen Pociask, president of TeleNomic Research LLC in Herndon, Va., is the study's author. [Birmingham Business Journal, For whom the bell tolls, 12/7/01]

Fiber to the Home Council Fiber optic manufacturer Corning founded FTTH Council. This summer, three major fiber-optics companies - Alcatel SA, Corning Inc. and Optical Solutions Inc. - created the Fiber-to-the-Home Council, a trade group. [The Dallas Morning News, 10/25/01] Corning is one of seven members of FTTH Council board. [Fiber Optics Weekly Update, Leonard Ray named president of FTTH Council, 3/11/05] Corning has close financial ties to Verizon. We are maintaining our position as a leading supplier of optical fiber cable, and optical hardware and equipment to Verizon. [Corning Chief Executive Officer Wendell P. Weeks, Business Wire, Corning CEO: Company is Delivering ''Remarkable Results',' 4/27/06] Verizon a primary reason for Corning revenue growth. Revenue in fiber-to-the-x posted strong growth of 45% in 2005, primarily due to the full year impact of Verizon's FiOS rollout. [Event Brief of Corning Optical Fiber Market Overview Conference Call Final, 3/7/06] Leading the pack [for fiber-optic technology] is the nonprofit Fiber to the Home Council, whose founding members include equipment manufacturers Alcatel, Sumitomo Electric Lightwave, and Wave7 Optics, along with glass manufacturer Corning. The council has worked to entice telecommunications companies and cities to embrace fiber-optics. Until Verizon recently embraced fiber, the council found itself working primarily with municipalities. [National Journal's Technology Daily, 8/12/05]

Heartland Institute Joseph Bast, director of The Heartland Institute, a Chicago nonprofit think tank that gets part of its funding from large telephone companies, said broadband access is getting more widespread and cheaper… [Saint Paul Pioneer Press (Minnesota), Internet in Minnesota, 4/18/05] BellSouth spokesman John Williams said the corporation has contributed to The Heartland Institute. [Daily Advertiser (Lafayette, Louisiana), Study finds fault with LUS fiber plan, 6/25/05] Ah, the joy of groups who don't disclose their financial sources, claim objectivity, yet are PR extensions of the incumbents and their quest to shape policy. One such group, the Heartland Institute (who also shill for the tobacco industry), this week released another report slamming community broadband; a report you'll see quoted all week long in the media as "independent research", yet is anything but. [http://www.newnetworks.com] No wonder government policies are messed up in Illinois. Who are people listening to? They are purportedly listening to independent think tanks with impressive names like the Heartland Institute in Chicago and the Institute for Policy Innovation in Washington, D.C. and Dallas. [http://www.newnetworks.com] Critics of city-run networks, such as the Heartland Institute, the New Millennium Research Council and various telecom lobbying groups, say the issue is one of ideology. … Most of the groups have ties to the telecom field, others note, and that calls their judgment into question. The New Millennium Research Council is part of a public relations firm. [Investor's Business Daily, Cities Face Backlash As They Plan Municipal Wireless Services, 5/3/05]

U.S. Internet Industry Association David McClure, president of the U.S. Internet Industry Association, which is partly funded by SBC Communications and Verizon Communications, is a harsh critic of municipal broadband. [National Journal's Technology Daily, Telecom, Cable Dish Harsh Words For City Networks, 8/19/05] On Tuesday, the U.S. Internet Industry Association (USIIA), which Verizon belongs to, praised the Supreme Court's decision in the Verizon case… [National Journal's Technology Daily, Supreme Court Declines Case To Reveal File Swappers, 10/12/04] USIIA [U.S. Internet Industry Association] is supported by Verizon Communications, one of its board members. [Technology Daily, 4/18/06] Founded in 1994, USIIA's board members include Verizon, United Parcel Service and e-Online Data. SBC, Fraud Check, U.S. Robotics and CompuServe also are members. [Washington Internet Daily, ISP Groups Vary in Funding as Well as Agendas, 8/8/02] Meanwhile, USIIA was attempting to rally ISPs to the side of Verizon, a key financial resource and member. [National Journal's Technology Daily, Internet Group Poised To Aid Verizon In Copyright Battle, 9/9/02]

Consumers FIRST Pennsylvania-based group Consumers FIRST! (C.F.) claims to be a statewide coalition of concerned individuals and business and non-profit organizations committed to regulatory policies that benefit consumers. In news reports, C.F. has been described simply as a consumer" group. [Pittsburg Post-Gazette, With Verizon's foray into cable, municipalities worry about their rights, 7/21/06] However, the truth is that Consumers FIRST is an astroturf organization that exists solely to promote Verizon special interest legislation. Its members are groups and individuals with numerous financial ties to Verizon.