NY AG Doles Out Wrist Slap Fine To Companies That Helped Telecom Giants Use Fake And Dead People To Lie About Net Neutrality

Scams

from the fake-plastic-trees dept

You might recall how when U.S. telecom giants lobbied the Trump FCC to kill net neutrality, they hired a bunch of PR firms to flood the FCC with fake comments from a bunch of fake and dead people. The goal: create the illusion of support for shitty, unpopular policies. It’s a pretty popular tactic by corporations and lobbying firms looking to influence the government and/or create the illusion of consensus.

In 2021, New York Attorney General Leticia James unveiled a report (also see accompanying statement) proving what most people already knew: the broadband industry was behind the use of fake and dead people to generate bogus support for the FCC’s controversial 2017 repeal of net neutrality. The report didn’t name any specific broadband companies and only singled out the proxy firms they used.

Several years later, and James’ office has finally managed to dole out a wrist slap fine ($615,000) for the three PR and policy firms used by the broadband industry: LCX Digital Media, Lead ID, LLC., and Ifficient Inc. All three “lead generation” companies also worked for other companies looking to influence policies at agencies like the EPA. And not for the betterment of competent policymaking or mankind.

Once again, none of the telecom monopolies that actually hired the firms (Comcast and AT&T are often suspected to be the most active in these kinds of campaigns) are even named in the announcement, despite James likely knowing full well who paid for these “services.” In a statement, James tries to pretend that such a half-assed penalty will actually change anything:

“No one should have their identity co-opted by manipulative companies and used to falsely promote a private agenda,” said New York Attorney General Letitia James in an announcement Wednesday.

Again, these fake comment efforts are glorified propaganda campaigns by deep-pocketed corporations designed to provide flimsy cover for corrupt and captured regulators to make policy decisions that are opposed by a majority of Americans (the repeal of net neutrality saw widespread, bipartisan opposition).

One such effort plagued a proceeding at the Labor Department, where numerous people who either don’t exist or don’t recall ever sending messages breathlessly opposed agency efforts to prevent conflicts of interest in retirement advice. The same problem plagued the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau when it proposed a rule trying to rein in some of the nastier habits of the payday lending industry.

Nobody in government or policy circles ever seems to show much interest in getting to the bottom of this problem. The public rarely can be bothered to care either (kudos to you if you made it this far down this article). And in the rare instance where somebody does act (like the NY AG), the fines are a tiny pittance in relation to whatever policy proposal the companies were attempting to game out.

Now pause for a moment and consider how “AI” tech like ChatGPT will make these kinds of lobbying influence and propaganda campaigns cheaper and easier than ever just as we face a well-funded, deeply coordinated campaign to finally and fully defang the regulatory state once and for all.

Filed Under: broadband, chevron deference, consumer rights, fake comments, fcc, letitia james, net neutrality, propaganda, regulators, trump
Companies: ifficient, lcx digital media, lead id