Ever wonder why, when Ma Bell was broken up and we could finally buy our phone instead of having to rent it, we have to rent our cable top boxes and pay many times over for them?
Well, some Democrats in the Senate did. And they did something about it.
If you have cable, get ready to say thanks to Sens. Markey, Blumenthal, Warren, Franken, Cantwell, Booker, Wyden, and Sanders.
Collectively, they commissioned studies and wrote letters to the FCC. In response, the FCC is issuing a new regulation allowing cable customers to buy their own boxes, opting out of the $20B box rental market.
A lot of congressional work doesn't involve voting on legislation. Simply writing a letter to a regulatory agency can often influence policy.
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But the rulemaking still serves as a concrete example of successful policymaking by a handful of liberal senators in an era of almost total congressional gridlock.
And thus did the Democrats accomplish something that benefits Americans despite the Republican road block in Congress.
read all the details on Huff Post