Washington, DC (January 21, 2015) – Former FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell is today scheduled to testify on open Internet rules before the Senate Commerce Committee. McDowell has been a vocal critic of Net Neutrality, asking the Federal Communications Commission to postpone its year-long work until Congress can act.

Demand Progress calls on Commissioner McDowell to consistently disclose his lobbying ties to AT&T as he engages in the Net Neutrality debate.

Robert McDowell is a partner at Wiley Rein LLP’s Communications Practice. Wiley Rein frequently works on behalf of the country’s largest telecommunications companies, including AT&T, Verizon and Comcast. According to public disclosures, Wiley Rein received $80,000 as recently as the third quarter of 2014 from AT&T to lobby against Net Neutrality. Yet McDowell’s writing and testimony have not consistently disclosed that Wiley Rein is paid to work against Net Neutrality.

“Mr. McDowell is quick to acknowledge his credentials as a former commissioner of the FCC, yet he does not reveal that his company makes tens of thousands of dollars per month lobbying against Net Neutrality. He has a financial stake in wrecking the open Internet, and he is doing a disservice to lawmakers and the American people by not revealing his biased self interests,” said David Segal, Executive Director of Demand Progress.

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