Well Connected

In Your State

Which telecom companies are pulling the strings in your state government? Use the drop-down list to find out which providers are spending the most on lobbying and campaign contributions in your state.
PUC Commissioners Snapshot
Average Salary: $92,561.19
Nationwide Commissioner Info

States with Passing Financial Disclosure Grade: 24
Nationwide PUC Financial Disclosure Ranking
Nice Work If You Can Get It
Political patronage rules in state utility commissions
WASHINGTON, November 17, 2005 — When Martin Cohen was appointed head of the Illinois Commerce Commission, the regulatory body that oversees utilities in the state, he joined a very small fraternity. >>
State Utility Commissions Fail Transparency Test
Half of states fail Center survey
WASHINGTON, November 17, 2005 — More than half of the states received a failing grade on making personal financial information of the nation's utility board members available for public inspection, according to a Center for Public Integrity study examining laws in all 50 states. >>
Former Bells Dial Up Big Numbers in Statehouses
SBC is No. 1 in both lobbying and contributions *
WASHINGTON, September 29, 2005 — Telecommunications companies spent $60.3 million on political contributions over six years and a minimum of $83.4 million on lobbying over two years in an attempt to curry favor with elected officials in the states, according to a new Center for Public Integrity analysis. >>
More Cities Offering Wireless Internet Access
Bells call it unfair competition *
WASHINGTON, September 29, 2005 — As a resident of tech-savvy Austin, Texas, Adina Levin enjoys the benefits of widespread wireless Internet access. Austin is one of a number of cities in the nation that has built a system that allows residents to log on to the Internet without worrying about plugging into a phone or cable outlet. Levin wants the rest of the state to have the same advantage. "People really care about it," Levin said of wireless Internet access. "There's a constituency for it." >>

Telecommunications Industry Snapshot

State Campaign Donations
Telecommunications industry donations, including legislative and statewide, throughout three election cycles, 1999-2000, 2001-2002 and 2003-2004. Click on total to see how the states stack up:
Cycle Amount
2003-2004 $17,870,537
2001-2002 $24,839,420
1999-2000 $17,622,162
Total $60,332,120

Telecommunications interests donating $1,000,000 or more to state races, including legislative and statewide, throughout six years, from 1999 to 2004:
Name Total
SBC Communications Inc. $10,157,856
AT&T Corp. $10,007,254
National Cable and Telecom. Assn. and state orgs. $6,573,163
Verizon Communications Inc. $6,075,855
BellSouth Corp. $3,839,332
Sprint Corp. $3,649,288
Qwest Communications International Inc. $1,506,846
MCI (formerly WorldCom Inc.) $1,483,932
Comcast Corp. $1,152,347

Source: Institute on Money in State Politics, with analysis by Center for Public Integrity
State Lobby Spending
State-level lobbying by telecommunications companies in 2003 and 2004. Click on the total to see how the states stack up:
Year Amount
2004 $46,772,970
2003 $36,638,794
Total $83,411,764

Telecommunications interests spending $1,000,000 or more lobbying state government in 2003 and 2004:
Name Total
SBC Communications Inc. $16,277,606
Cablevision Systems Corp. $13,803,573
Verizon Communications Inc. $12,221,046
AT&T Corp. $7,753,507
National Cable and Telecom. Assn. and state orgs $5,169,080
MCI (formerly WorldCom Inc.) $2,789,463
Sprint Corp. $2,205,169
Yankees Entertainment & Sports Network $2,164,429
Cingular Wireless $1,914,751
Deutsche Telekom AG (T-Mobile USA) $1,672,249
Qwest Communications International Inc. $1,583,463
US Telecom. Assn. and state orgs. $1,576,484
Nextel Communications $1,484,601
AT&T Wireless $1,374,248
BellSouth Corp. $1,098,108
Time Warner $1,046,572

Source: Center for Public Integrity analysis of state records