Net Neutrality Under Attack As CO Lawmakers Get $2.2M From ISPs

COLORADO — A recent report from the Center of Responsive Politics details how much money each member of Congress has received from the telecommunications industry since 1989, and the numbers are staggering. The study reveals that sitting members of Congress and their political action committees have received a total of $101 million from internet service providers (ISPs) and other similar companies.

In all, Colorado's nine U.S. Representatives and Senators have been given $2,192,826 by ISPs. While that seems like a lot, and it is, it doesn't look so bad next to the sum of Congress' four top earners. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA), Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR) and Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) have received a total of $7,283,229.

Colorado's top earner, Sen. Michael Bennett, has brought in $681,171. Rep. Diana DeGette has taken in more than $394,790 and Sen. Cory Gardner just over $337,650. DeGette and Bennett voted "nay" on ending net neutrality, while Gardner voted "yea."

The study comes as net neutrality, which provides free and open access to internet services, comes under attack this week with the Federal Communications Commission voting on Thursday to abolish it. Ajit Pai, the current Chairman of the FCC, was appointed by President Trump.

Net neutrality prevents ISPs from "blocking content, websites and applications, slowing or speeding up services or classes of service, and charging online services for access or fast lanes to Internet access providers' customers," according to a Dec. 11 open letter to Congress and the FCC by a group of internet pioneers and technology experts.

The letter was sent to the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation, and the Internet. That subcommittee's four members have been given combined over $2.3 million by telecommunications companies.

The proposed abolition of net neutrality, called the "Restoring Internet Freedom Order," only gives ISPs the freedom to leverage internet services against their customers. It will allow ISPs to unequally offer services, meaning the big companies — Amazon, Google, Facebook, Netflix and others — will be able to reach customers more easily than they already do, according to Business Insider. Smaller companies with less means will have more difficulty reaching customers.

"We are writing to respectfully urge you to call on FCC Chairman Ajit Pai to cancel the December 14 vote on the FCC's proposed Restoring Internet Freedom Order," the letter read.

Among the letter's 21 signers are Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, former FCC chief technologist David J. Farber and Mozilla foundation executive chairwoman Michell Baker.

The letter states that the proposed repeal of net neutrality is based on a "flawed and factually inaccurate understanding of Internet technology," adding that the FCC "could not possibly" have adequately considered the comments from internet experts or 23 million comments from the public.

Nationwide, Republicans have received about $55 million and Democrats about $45 million. The three biggest corporate donors are AT&T ($19,836,019), Comcast ($14,899,570) and Verizon ($11,240,950).
Below is the full list of ISP donations to U.S. Congresspeople from Colorado, and their votes:

• Diana DeGette D Dist. 01 - $394,725 Nay
• Jared Polis, D Dist. 02 $55,800 Nay
• Scott Tipton R Dist, 03 - $94,350 Yea
• Kenneth R Buck D Dist. 04 - $61,950 Yea
• Douglas L Lamborn R Dist. 05 - $84,600 Yea
• Mike Coffman R Dist. 06 - $205,050 Nay
• Ed Perlmutter D Dist. 07 - $277,530 Nay
• Cory Gardner R Senate - $337,650 $681,171 Yea
• Michael F Bennett D Senate - $681,171 Nay

At the end of their letter, the group of 21 internet pioneers and engineers said repealing net neutrality "without any replacement is an imminent threat to the Internet we worked so hard to create. It should be stopped."

By Geoff Dempsey, Patch Staff

Jean Lotus contributed to this article
Article image: Proponents of net neutrality protest against Federal Communication Commission Chairman Ajit Pai outside the American Enterprise Institute before his arrival May 5, 2017 in Washington, DC. Appointed to the commission by President Barack Obama in 2012, Pai was elevated to the chairmanship of the FCC by U.S. President Donald Trump in January. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)