Telecom Donors Still Give Big to Presidential Campaigns

Third-quarter campaign reports, due at the Federal Election Commission last week, showcase heavyweight donations from many telecom executives. The early money from last quarter’s reports revealed a telecom industry tendency toward what have been considered establishment candidates, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush among Republicans and Hillary Clinton, a former senator and secretary of state, among Democratic contenders (see 1507210050). Rubio, Florida’s Republican senator who prioritizes spectrum reallocation, also attracted industry interest early on.

Industry heavyweights continued to donate freely in recent months. Some candidates who appeared highly favored in early months have dropped out entirely now, and both Republican and Democratic contenders have begun holding debates in recent weeks.

Rubio’s campaign, which experienced a recent boost in notoriety, received checks from AT&T Mobility President Ralph de La Vega totaling $2,700. Other donors include NCTA lobbyist Justin Rzepka, CTIA Assistant Vice President-Government Affairs Jaime Hjort and Comcast Executive Vice Presidents Lawrence Salva and John Schanz. The latest Q3 document included many names from Wiley Rein, which already had several attorneys including former FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell backing Rubio as of summer. Malibu Broadcasting’s Tom Wilson gave the maximum of $2,700 and Donald Crawford Broadcasting Co. President Donald Crawford also gave several hundred dollars.

Bush’s poll numbers have flagged amid initial Republican debates despite his buzz as an early front-runner, but some telecom executives still favor him. AT&T Senior Executive Vice President Jim Cicconi’s name appeared among his latest donors, giving $2,700. AT&T Alabama President Fred McCallum donated $2,700 to Bush, as did Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure, Momentum Telecom Chair Elizabeth Pharo, Telecom Industry Association Director-Regulatory and Government Affairs Mark Uncapher and Google’s Lori Sobel, a retail director. William Guidera, 21st Century Fox senior vice president, gave $1,000.

Donald Trump, leading in GOP polls, also had telecom donors. Shane Linse, the executive leading Montana’s Big Sky Communications and Cable, donated $2,700 to Trump this fall, despite previously donating to the presidential campaign of Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. Richard Edwards, who heads Edwards Electric & Telecom, also gave Trump the maximum amount, and the CEO of Tennessee’s Cable N More, Dewey Hewitt, gave the Trump campaign money. Cruz, meanwhile, has previously enjoyed backing from AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson and according to his latest filing, donations from multiple members of Manhattan Telecom Corp.

Clinton seemed to attract the largest share of donors. Her latest records again revealed many leading officials at Dish Network giving her campaign money, from board members like David Moskowitz to senior vice presidents including Kathleen Schneider, James LaRocque and Benjamin Weinberger. Comcast NBCUniversal International Chairman Kevin MacLellan gave her $2,700, reflecting donations that many other Comcast executives gave earlier in the year. She received a maximum donation from AT&T’s Joseph Eyer, an assistant vice president-public affairs, and another donation from NTCA CEO Shirley Bloomfield. Valery Galasso, an aide to FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, donated $450 to Clinton’s campaign. Capitol Broadcasting President James Goodmon and Muirfield Broadcasting President Walker Morris each gave her $2,700. She received many donations from officials at Google and Facebook, including Google Internet Evangelist Vint Cerf.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., also received some telecom donors’ money, although typically in smaller amounts from figures with less leading roles at the companies in question. Robert Finley, an FCC official affiliated with the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, gave Sanders $250.