Google Trying to Mobilize Users to Defend Net Neutrality
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Written By Reprise Media | June 8, 2006 | Share This
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Yesterday’s big Google story centered on co-founder Sergey Brin’s public admission that the engine’s decision to self-censor in China might have been the wrong one. Somewhat less widely reported was that Brin was in Washington at the time, trying to get audiences with key senators involved in a crucial upcoming net neutrality vote.
Google’s been getting a lot of flack from Capital Hill on the China issue, and the ‘mea culpa’ (though no less sincere) might have been timed to help butter up previously hostile lawmakers on the net neutrality issue. If that’s the case, it might not be working; Google’s trouble fitting in among Washington power brokers has been noted before, and they still seem to be taking baby steps. According to Paid Content, Brin says this latest trip to DC was hastily organized, and he failed to get appointments with several powerful senators, including Ted Stevens, the head of the Senate Commerce Committee who’s thus far been cool to net neutrality.
Brin lamented that the young Google couldn’t command the lobbying clout of its adversaries at the telecom companies, who’ve enjoyed a head start of “30 or 100 years, or however long telcos have been lobbying Congress.” He may have a point, there; just today, BetaNews says that the senate kowtowed to the telcos by “backing away” from forcing its executives to answer for their alleged complicity in the NSA’s domestic wiretapping.
So instead of relying on its own communications with Congress, Google is looking to leverage another potentially huge resource - its users. A Google Blog post sums up the net neutrality issue, links to an impassioned open letter by CEO Eric Schmidt, and urges readers to act by calling their legislative representatives and visiting itsournet.org, a pro-neutrality advocacy site.
Hopefully, it’s not too little, too late. Danny Sullivan decries the fact that their post will be invisible to most Google visitors. “C’mon Google, if you’re that serious about it, put something out where your users will actually see it, on the home page,” writes Sullivan.
Topics: Google, Legal Issues |