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from: Sascha Meinrath

In Illinois, AT&T Lobbyists Hole up In State Legislator Offices, Will Attempt Midnight Legislative Coup.

Wed, 2007-05-30 16:50

I've just learned that AT&T lobbyists are holed up in state legislators offices and are rewriting state laws that they will attempt to get passed in the dead of night. One might think that this is some sort of nefarious plot to some Gotham City corruption scandal, but it's happening right now in the State of Illinois. With massive public opposition to HB1500, it appears likely that AT&T and it's legislators will attempt to attach amendments to SB 678.

This late-night switcheroo is a blatant attempt to change State laws without public comment or input -- it's a power-play by a telecom incumbent whose purpose is to maximize corporate profit margins at the literal expense of Illinois residents. As I've been warning for several months, AT&T is hellbent on having its way with the Illinois legislature.

The amendment that AT&T's lobbyists are working on would lower buildout requirements while granting this telecom giant unprecedented power to ignore local concerns. Meanwhile, consumer protections are gutted, and network neutrality has been entirely eliminated.

Back when I wrote about the worst telecom bill I'd ever seen i hadn't realized that AT&T, still wanting more, would attempt a late-night assassination of consumer- and municipal-rights and that government officials in Illinois would be so corrupt as to go along with this farce.