RSSB2B Media Industry Lobbying Dollars
I came across an interesting piece of legislation this week (thanks, Anthony) that basically mandates the US Congress to pass legislation that offers tax subsidies to companies that build and invest renewable energy sources and to companies that conserve resources. It is imperative that we use our industry lobbying dollars (these go largely through American Business Media) to urge the government to offer broad and significant tax breaks to companies that use post-consumer recycled paper, sustainable paper, soy-based ink, and delivery and distribution methods that do not involve petroleum-based transportation.
I know that we’ve spent a lot of time and money on the postal rate case. And, though, as an industry, we basically lost to the bigger companies, it was a fight we had to fight. Now that that fight is basically over, we should insist that our lobbying dollars be spent on this new fight. This could be both an opportunity for our industry to really move the needle on an important issue while cutting costs.
Now, I don’t know how things work in Washington. Maybe what I’m proposing doesn’t make any sense. I’ll ask David Straus, ABM’s man in DC, and get back you.
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I think it would be a fine idea if someone suggested to ABM that consider adding the tax subsidy idea you float to its Washington agenda, but ABM’s lobbyists, not I, would be the ones to opine on the prospects for such an undertaking. With that out of the way, I must take issue with your statement that, in the 35 years of rate cases, “as an industry, we basically lost to the bigger companies.” Ask MPA, or Time Warner, or Conde Nast, or the Wall Street Journal, or Readers Digest if that is true. In fact, for 34 of those 35 years we were extremely successful, falling significantly short only in the 2006 case. For example, in what was probably the most important case before the Postal Rate Commission during that entire period, the 1995 reclassification case, we prevailed over everyone on that list as well as the Postal Service itself and obtained for all smaller-circulation publications percentage rate savings measured in double digits that have remained in effect to this day. I realize that much of this history took place before you were born, but it is history nonetheless.
David–
In no way did I mean to say that ABM had failed historically. I’m not too aware of the history, and so I wouldn’t want to comment. But, as you said, the 2006 rate case did not result in the outcome we all wanted.