Verizon & AT&T Provide Cell Towers At McCain Ranch For Free! Illegal Corporate Contributions?

Thanks to AmericaBlog for noticing this one. The Washington Post reports that Verizon and AT&T placed cell phone towers on the McCain ranch basically because he was running for president. Those kind of freebees are unethical and illegal. If you want proof, look at the world of hurt Ted Stevens is in right now for similar shenanigans.

Here is some of the story from the Washington Post:

Early in 2007, just as her husband launched his presidential bid, Cindy McCain decided to resolve an old problem -- the lack of cellular telephone coverage on her remote 15-acre ranch near Sedona, nestled deep in a tree-lined canyon called Hidden Valley.

By the time Sen. John McCain's presidential bid was in full swing this summer, the ranch had wireless coverage from the two cellular companies most often used by campaign staff -- Verizon Wireless and AT&T.

Verizon delivered a portable tower know as a "cell site on wheels" -- free of charge -- to Cindy McCain's property in June in response to an online request from Cindy McCain's staff early last year. Such devices are usually reserved for restoring service when cell coverage is knocked out during emergencies, such as hurricanes.

In July, AT&T followed suit, wheeling in a portable tower for free to match Verizon's offer. "This is an unusual situation," said AT&T spokeswoman Claudia B. Jones. "You can't have a presidential nominee in an area where there is not cell coverage."

Furthermore, the story has the following little chestnut:

Ethics lawyers said Cindy McCain's dealings with the wireless companies stand out because Sen. John McCain is a senior member of the Senate Commerce Committee, which oversees the Federal Communications Commission and the telecommunications industry. He has been a leading advocate for industry-backed legislation, fighting regulations and taxes on telecommunications services.

If this little peccadillo doesn't come up in the debate tonight,. perhaps it should appear in the letters to the editor pages of every major newspaper? Start writing!