The high price of telecoms and internet has bothered users for a long time now. A new report highlights massive political spending to lobby legislators even as these prices remain high. This article by Karl Bode is published by Vice. Here is an excerpt:

A new study argues crappy U.S. broadband is an active policy choice—and a direct result of pathetically weak U.S. lobbying and corporate finance laws.

Over the last few years big internet service providers have killed net neutrality, eliminated most FCC oversight of broadband providers, derailed efforts to pass meaningful privacy rules, and thwarted a wide variety of proposals designed to deliver faster, cheaper fiber broadband competition. 

A new joint study by Common Cause and the Communications Workers of America (CWA) union found that the telecom industry spent $234 million on lobbying during the 116th Congress alone, or nearly $320,000 a day. Comcast was the biggest spender at more than $43 million, with AT&T not far behind at $36 million. 

Read the full story here. Also, visit the main Democracy Chronicles section on American Democracy, our section on Money Politics, or our articles on Political Lobbying.