

FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn (who's in charge of overseeing the proposed Comcast/Time Warner merger) is receiving an award, for which Comcast and Time Warner Cable are "presenting sponsors," paying $110K and $22K respectively.

A Comcast spokesman said it was "insulting" to claim that there was anything untoward about sponsoring a worthy award, and that this in no way represented a way to throw an enormous, lavish party for a public official whose decisions could make the company's execs millions in bonuses without falling afoul of anti-bribery laws.

Comcast, Time Warner Cable Spend Big To 'Honor' FCC Commissioner Overseeing Their Merger Review

(Image: Pratham Gala at Cipriani's, John Philip Green, CC-BY; Money, 401(K) 2012, CC-BY-SA)