The Wall Street Journal has an article today about the Verizon- and AT&T-backed Consumers for Cable Choice, which we’ve been talking about [here, here, here, here and here] for some time. [Here’s the article, although you’ll need a WSJ subscription to access it.] Under the guise of fighting for consumers, Verizon and AT&T have been using the front group to fight for regulatory changes that would treat them differently (and more favorably) than competing cable companies. The WSJ article cites a report from consumer advocacy group Common Cause on nine organizations, including Consumers for Cable Choice, whose efforts they label “astroturf” —coined by Texas Senator Lloyd Bentsen more than two decades ago to describe the fake grassroots efforts backed by corporate interests. To be fair, Common Cause blasts Cable right along with Verizon, AT&T and other telecom interests for what it calls the industry's support of some similar organizations.