Image: Streaming Observer
There’s a lot to take in when preparing to vote in the upcoming midterm election on November 6. But if net neutrality and the influence of Big Telecom is an issue you’re worried about, you might be curious to know how much money your Congressperson has gotten in contributions from ISPs.If that’s the case, here’s one map you’ll want to take a look at:
Using data from the Center for Responsive Politics, the team at Streaming Observer—a blog that covers media streaming news and tips—created this interactive map that shows the House representatives and senators for each state, how much money they’ve received from internet providers, and what their position is on net neutrality. (Note: you can swap between House representatives and senators using the drop-down menu in the top right.)The map only includes incumbents, so you’ll have to dig a little deeper to get information on other candidates. Still, it’s a good starting place for checking where your members of congress stand before you cast a ballot. In New York, for example, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has gotten $413,307 from ISPs, according to the map, while Senator Chuck Schumer has attracted $1,018,574 in contributions from Big Telecom.Net neutrality and the influence of Big Telecom is a hot issue for many voters, after the Federal Communications Commission voted to repeal net neutrality last year. Major ISPs were in favor of scrapping the rules and used their financial and lobbying power to try to push it through.“Calling the FCC’s repeal of net neutrality controversial would be a massive understatement,” Streaming Observer wrote in a blog post about the map. “With midterm elections upon us, it’s yet another issue many will consider when deciding between candidates or parties.”