Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Conservative Rep. Upton Asserts Quiet Presence

From: [email-masked]
Date: Wed, 16 Jul 2003 20:58:35 -0400

Conservative Rep. Upton Asserts Quiet Presence

Jul 16, 2003

Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) may be the most famous congressman you never
heard of - unless, of course, you happen to be in the telecom industry. And if you

are, you no doubt know this unassuming gentleman as the current chairman of the
House Telecommunications Subcommittee, one of the most influential
policymaking panels on Capitol Hill.

A staunch conservative, Upton is nothing like the subcommittee's previous
chairman, Rep. Billy Tauzin (R-La.), who used the position as a springboard to the

chairmanship of the full House Energy & Commerce Committee. When he held
the subcommittee gavel, Tauzin was often contentious, frequently chastising the
FCC for being too regulatory. Thus far, Upton hasn't publicly uttered a single
word of discontent about the commission. Instead, Upton is more prone to use his
position as a platform for reassuring constituents back in Michigan's 6th
Congressional District that everything he does he does for them.

For example, one of Upton's most recent volleys of disgruntlement was directed at
tele-marketing firms - a safe target for any politician trying to curry favor with
the American public. And this past week, Upton presided over a hearing in which
unsolicited email, a.k.a., spam, took center stage.

Upton's visits back home appear to be punctuated with equally non-controversial
activities. In fact, his website boasts that among his most recent achievements is

his presentation of "long overdue medals" to two local veterans.

But this is not to say Upton always avoids controversy. The reserved congressman
has certainly not done well with liberals. The American Civil Liberties Union
(ACLU), the National Organization for Women (NOW) and The Foundation
for National Progress (publisher of liberal-oriented Mother Jones magazine) are
but a few of the entities that have blasted the Michigan Republican for his
conservatism.

In fact, Mother Jones, a publication claiming to be a stalwart champion for
investigative journalism, recently picked on Upton for something that happened 10
years ago - something that had nothing at all to do with telecom issues. The
magazine reported that on July 2, 1993, Upton bought between $1,000 and
$15,000 worth of stock in Perrigo, a pharmaceutical manufacturer based in
Allegan, Mich. The exact amount remains unclear because of standardized
reporting forms the government uses in tracking such things.

In any event, a day earlier - July 1, 1993 - a massive health care reform bill
surfaced in the House and was referred to the Energy and Commerce Committee,
of which Upton was (and still is) a member. The bill, H.R. 2610, was aimed at
providing "Mediplan" health insurance coverage for all citizens. Interestingly,
Perrigo announced on July 14, 1993 - 12 days after Upton's stock purchase and
13 days after the House action - a 2-for-1 stock split.

Upton's supporters say the stock split was coincidental. In fact the matter never
sparked the interest of congressional ethics officials, much less that of
investigators at the Securities and Exchange Commission. So, for all intents
and purposes, Upton remains virtually unscathed by his would-be detractors. And
from all appearances, he is still very popular with the telecom industry.

Top Telecom Contributors for Upton
National Cable & Telecommunications Assn
$12,999
SBC Communications
$11,000
National Assn of Broadcasters
$10,500
Walt Disney Co
$10,000
Viacom Inc
$8,000
Ctc Communications
$6,000
Verizon Communications
$6,000
Note: All figures are from the 2001-2002 House election cycle and based on Federal

Election Commission data released electronically on Monday, April 28, 2003.

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