Network neutrality update: more bills, more conflicts of interest

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In the week and a half since my first blog entry on network neutrality legisilation and the creation of the corresponding Congresspedia article, there have been two new pro-neutrality bills filed and two new conflicts of interest for the sponsors of the anti-neutrality legislation.

It seems that in addition to Rep. Bobby Rush's million dollar conflict of interest, Reps. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) and Joe Barton (R-Texas) each own substantial amounts of stock in the companies pushing for the profitable-to-them anti-neutrality legislation: Barton holds $1,000 - $15,000 in AT&T stock and Upton holds $19,000 - $110,000 in AT&T and Verizon stock. This little tidbit was picked up by Paul Blumenthal, who blogs for the Sunlight Foundation, the co-operator of Congresspedia.

Anyway, the netroots are acting up and some people in Congress have noticed: the Upton-Barton-Rush bill has been delayed in the House, the Senate bill has been crafted in secret, two pro-neutrality bills have been filed and Rep. Upton is telling the Senate to just "get something passed" so they can work out the real agreement in a closed-to-the-public conference committee. If you're looking for an example of how Congress reacts to public scrutiny of a pro-industry bill they thought they could slip under the radar, this is it.

We've got details on how much the telecom companies have given in campaign contribution to the sponsors of the anti-neutrality legislation on the network neutrality legislation page and more info in the profiles on Reps. Fred Upton, Bobby Rush (D-Ill.), Joe Barton, Charles Pickering (R-Miss.), Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Edward Markey (D-Mass.) and Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska).