With its innocent-sounding name and barely concealed pro-industry agenda, the Location Privacy Association is a classic example of an "Astroturf" group, Beltway slang for pseudo-grassroots organizations. Though telecom issues have yet to generate much public debate, companies are sponsoring a variety of groups to suggest that Americans are clamoring for deregulation. One of the most visible is the Alliance for Public Technology, whose board members are frequently quoted in the media as crusaders for the public interest, especially for rural and minority consumers. According to the group's 1989 application for nonprofit status, its mission is to "educate the general public about new technology" and "bridge the gap between technology providers and special-need consumers."

Other filings, however, reveal that the alliance operates out of the offices of Issue Dynamics, a consulting firm often hired by the Bells; in 1999, the group paid Issue Dynamics $140,000 in "management fees." On its Web site the alliance lists four corporate sponsors—AOL Time Warner, BellSouth, SBC, and the U.S. Telecom Association-and it regularly provides press statements and congressional testimony in support of its backers' goals. When a broadband deregulation bill co-sponsored by Rep. W.J. "Billy" Tauzin (R-La.) and Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) came under fire from consumer advocates, alliance representative Don Vial emerged to praise the measure before the House Commerce Committee: "There can never be enough broadband to serve the increasing needs of our technology-driven economy and society."

To mobilize, or at least imply, real public support, corporations have used massive ad campaigns, often targeted at the Washington media market. The Tauzin-Dingell bill, for example, has spurred a flood of commercials from Keep America Connected, a Bell-funded group that says it represents “older Americans, people with disabilities, rural and inner-city residents, people of color, low-income citizens, labor and local telephone companies." The organization lists a bevy of affiliates, including the American Beekeeping Federation, the Delta Waterfowl Foundation—and the Alliance for Public Technology. Another Bell lobbying group, Connect USA, has been saturating the D.C. airwaves with ads assuring viewers that Tauzin-Dingell "guarantees high-speed access to inner cities and small towns, making sure that no one is left behind."