TV4US
TV4US is the very definition of Astroturf: an industry-backed campaign that gives the appearance of widespread grassroots support.
The group claims to be laboring on behalf of "working Americans" who want "lower costs" and "more choices."[7] The name of their website also gives the impression of citizen activism - WeWantChoice.com.
But when you look behind the smoke and mirrors, you find not citizen power, but corporate money.[8] TV4US's coalition consists mainly of industry powerhouses like AT&T and corporate front groups like Frontiers for Freedom.[9]
The group is co-chaired by President Clinton's former Deputy Chief of Staff Steve Ricchetti and Republican strategist Charlie Black.[10] These two men are no strangers to the telecom Astroturf game. In 2001-02, they led the AT&T-backed Voices for Choices organization in opposition to the proposed Tauzin-Dingell telecom bill. [11]
Voices for Choices relied heavily on television and print advertising,[12] and TV4US seems to be following the same model. Already this year, TV4US has spent more than $1.5 million on television advertising in favor of video franchising reform, and another $1 million on ads to oppose net neutrality.[13] Early ads aimed to reinforce AT&T's message of 'competition,' 'lower costs,' and 'real choice.' But as the debate over the telecom bill moved to the Senate, TV4US switched from feel-good messages about the benefits of national franchising, to a negative, anti-net neutrality campaign.
There have even been reports that TV4US engaged in "push-polling" - calling people at home and giving them misleading information in order to convince them to calling their members of Congress and urge a vote against net neutrality.[14]
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[7] TV4US, full page print ad in The Washington Post, 10 May 2006.
[8] TV4US, "About Us," at http://www.wewantchoice.com/content/pages/about_us (last visited 4 Aug 2006).
[9] Common Cause, "Wolves in Sheep's Clothing: Telecom Industry Front Groups and Astroturf," March 2006: 9.
[10] TV4US, "Statements by Charlie Black and Steve Ricchetti, Co-chairmen, TV4US Coalition" at http://www.wewantchoice.com/page/file/
ed9bb8565a36146d1f_vom6bnh78.pdf/
TV4US_Senate_Commerce_Passage.pdf (last visited 4 Aug 2006).
[11] Staff, "New Group Enters Telecom Debate," InternetNews.com, 12 Feb 2001.
[12] Annenberg Public Policy Center, "Legislative Issue Advertising in the 107th Congress," July 2003: 83.
[13] Anne Veigle, "Groups Spent $42 Million on Net Neutrality Ads, Study Finds," Communications Daily, 20 July 2006.
[14] Sascha Meinrath, "More on TV4US Phone Calls," The Digital Divide Network, 1 June 2006. See also: SaveTheInternet Blog, "The Telcos Are Calling You," at http://www.savetheinternet.com/blog/2006/
05/24/the-telcos-are-calling-you-2 (last visited 4 Aug 2006).