Follow the Money ­ North Carolina Moratorium Watch 2010

[Commentary] A look at the campaign contributions to two North Carolina legislators leading the charge to ban or restrict municipal broadband projects — Sen. Daniel Clodfelter (D-Mecklenburg) and Sen. David Hoyle (D-Gaston). Sen Clodfelter took in a total of $16,000 in PAC contributions from big telecom companies and their friends while Sen Hoyle received $25,250 from companies with an active interest in the telecommunications debate in this state. When you consider more than $40,000 was spent to boost the campaign coffers of just two state legislators, it's not hard to see big money is involved statewide. It doesn't even have to arrive in the form of a PAC contribution. Clodfelter just had a $29 million Time Warner Cable headquarters building placed in Mecklenburg County. Hoyle helped procure the Apple Data Center, located 22.5 miles north of his district in Maiden, NC.