[dragonwriter]

> Do such comments have any effect?

Yes.

> It's hard to overlook that money seems to drive American politics moreso than public opinion

One of the ways that money drives regulatory politics is that having money means you can hire people who (1) understand the regulatory process, and (2) participate in open comment opportunities by submitting comments that are effective (particularly, by addressing the desired policy changes in terms of that address directly the points for which the regulatory agency has called for input.)