In the midst of a heated Senate race, questions about past affiliations and decisions are coming to the forefront. Former U.S. Senator John Sununu, now vying for a return to the political arena, has drawn scrutiny for his ties to major telecommunications companies that have previously engaged in lobbying against privacy regulations.
John Sununu, who served New Hampshire in the U.S. Senate from 2003 to 2009, is challenging Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas in the upcoming election. Notably, after leaving office, Sununu joined the board of Time Warner (now Spectrum), receiving $1.7 million in fees and stock over six years.
During Sununu’s tenure on the board, Time Warner supported controversial legislation, including the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA), and the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA), all aimed at addressing online copyright infringement and cybersecurity.
SOPA and PIPA, if passed, would have empowered internet service providers to block access to websites accused of copyright violations. However, these bills faced criticism from groups like the ACLU, which argued that their broad language could allow unwarranted website shutdowns without due legal process. Ultimately, neither bill was enacted.
Similarly, CISPA, which proposed allowing internet providers to share user data with the government, also failed to become law. The Electronic Frontier Foundation warned that this could “undermine the privacy of millions of internet users,” as reported by Mother Jones.
In 2011, Sununu took on the role of honorary co-chair for Broadband for America, a telecommunications trade group, where he opposed net neutrality. Sununu stated that advocates of net neutrality aimed to upend a “two-decade consensus of light regulatory touch,” during a 2014 press call.
Despite promoting himself as a defender of civil liberties, referencing his 2005 filibuster against the Patriot Act renewal, Sununu’s private sector engagements have become a talking point in the current campaign. Recent polling by The New York Times/Siena University indicates that Sununu trails Pappas by five percentage points in the race.
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