You probably remember this revelation about the pre-9/11 wiretapping, and how it landed the CEO of Qwest in jail because he refused to break the law:
… Newly-unsealed court documents related to former Qwest CEO Joe Nacchio’s appeal on convictions of insider trading, show Nacchio claimed Qwest was asked by the federal government as early as February 2001 to participate in a classified program, which reports suggests was the National Security Agency’s domestic wiretapping program. The request, Nacchio said, occurred while Qwest was being considered for lucrative government telecom contracts. Qwest refused to participate in the program, and later that year, according to Nacchio, the government declined to award Qwest the contracts. The failure to land those contracts, which Nacchio had come to expect Qwest would win, played an integral part in the revenue slide that was at the center of the insider trading charges on which Nacchio was convicted. …
Today, the Democratic National Convention Committee announced their choice for a telecommunications provider for the convention in a press release:
The Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC) and Denver-based Qwest Communications International Inc. (NYSE: Q) announced today that Qwest has been named as the official telecommunications provider for the 2008 Democratic National Convention, to be held Aug. 25-28 in Denver. In that role, Qwest will provide the network and people to help link the Convention to a nationwide and worldwide audience.
“Qwest has been a longtime partner of the Denver business community – and today we are proud to call them our partner, too,” said Leah D. Daughtry, CEO of the DNCC. “Qwest’s state-of-the-art network and skilled union labor force will play a significant role in helping us deliver a spectacular event to the American people and media outlets around the world.” …
The release didn’t say anything about the wiretapping issue, just the Denver connections. Still, it seems a fine thing that they picked the one provably responsible corporate citizen to reward with the job. Good for them.
