IP Democracy draws our attention to the fact that the often maligned cable industry is attempting a blog-centric image makeover. The National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) has kicked off a new advertising campaign (aimed primarily at the DC area) that reminds lawmakers that despite constantly rising cable rates, a coordinated market duopoly, consistently low customer satisfaction scores and throttled traffic -- the cable industry has done some very nice things for the country, including deploying $40-$55 VoIP.

The ads direct viewers to a new blog aimed at informing lawmakers on just how good Joe consumer has it. You'll note a repetition of words like choice, savings, satisfaction and competition. These generally aren't concepts that leap to mind when you think of the cable industry, which is precisely why they're used.

The blog's contributor section tells us a major goal is to "build a robust grassroots activist base for the cable industry." Sure, the textbook definition of grassroots involves the under-represented common people rising up against an elite tyranny of some kind, but who's paying attention these days anyway.

Frankly, it's pretty clear by now that if there's one thing that all giant telecom companies lack, it's any way to get their message heard in Washington. With consumer advocates spending billions to all but purchase their own lawmakers, and most news outlets so focused on diligently and unquestioningly serving the consumer, it's a wonder that a massive media conglomerate can even be heard these days on Capitol Hill.