In the 'net neutrality' battle, tech has a secret weapon: Its lobby

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[Commentary] The Federal Commication Commisison’s scheduled vote on network neutrality rules will be a test of just how far the tech industry has come in the intervening years.

The FCC voted to move ahead with Chairman Tom Wheeler's plan for crafting new "net neutrality" rules. Chairman Wheeler's plan, governing how Internet providers can charge content creators for speedy delivery of their data, has been the subject of intense debate between the telecom and tech industries and, increasingly, consumer advocates and grassroots activists.

For now, one of the biggest wild cards remains just how far tech heavies are willing to go in their battle with the telecom giants. As far as Beltway influence goes, Google, for example, was a virtual nonentity back in 2006. It spent less on lobbying that year than Boston University. Its fledgling political action committee doled out a measly $37,000.

Google is, by any measure, a behemoth in Washington these days. Its political action committee (PAC) doled out more than $1 million during the 2012 election year (less than half of what AT&T gave, but still) -- and actually narrowly edged the phone giant in lobbying expenses in 2013. That growth has tracked with Google's rise globally as a corporate colossus, with all the attendant complications.


In the 'net neutrality' battle, tech has a secret weapon: Its lobby