Google, Yahoo fighting on both sides of municipal broadband debate (updated)

[Commentary] The Internet Association urged the Federal Communications Commission to intervene in state-level laws that seek to prohibit municipalities from deploying and maintaining their own broadband networks. The Internet Association is essentially a lobbying organization that says it is “dedicated to advancing public policy solutions to strengthen and protect internet freedom, foster innovation and economic growth and empower users.” It supports net neutrality, patent reforms that could eradicate patent trolls, and the protection of privacy of internet users, among many other causes in the technology industry. The group boasts a long list of very high-profile technology companies, including Google, Amazon, Yahoo, Reddit, and PayPal. But a Daily Beast report from August 2013 outed Google as a member of ALEC’s Communications and Technology Task Force, alongside several other tech companies, including Yahoo and Yelp. All three are also members of the Internet Association, whose stances on net neutrality and broadband are the polar opposite of ALEC's. After the Daily Beast article unveiled Google’s affiliation with ALEC, dozens of activist groups pointed out the paradox in a public letter calling for the company to leave the organization. Google's only response came in a reply to Ars Technica’s request for comment: "we aren't going to be commenting on this letter."

[Neagle manages NetworkWorld’s blogs]

Update:

On Sept 22 Google said it doesn't plan on funding the conservative American Legislative Exchange Council in the future due to the organization's climate change skepticism.