Common Cause Mourns Passing of Charles Benton

Common Cause joins his friends and admirers across the country today in mourning the passing of Charles Benton, founder and chairman of the Benton Foundation and a tireless advocate for public policies geared to making the power of 21^st century digital communications available to every American.

“Charles and the Benton Foundation have done extraordinary work on behalf of the public interest in forward-looking communications policy for more than three decades,” said Common Cause President Miles Rapoport. “We have been honored to have him as a friend and ally of Common Cause.”

Mr. Benton, 84, died Wednesday at his home in Evanston, IL, the Foundation announced.

“I am heartbroken at this loss of a friend and dauntless public interest champion,” said Michael Copps, a former member of the Federal Communications Commission now serving as special adviser to Common Cause’s Media and Democracy Reform Initiative. “He did America proud.”