Google silent on support for group opposing net neutrality and muni broadband

Common Cause and more than 50 other advocacy groups called on Google to end its affiliation with the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a group that has pushed state laws limiting the rights of cities and towns to create community-owned broadband networks.

ALEC also opposes network neutrality rules that Google used to be a staunch supporter of and urged the Federal Communications Commission to quickly approve Comcast’s purchase of Time Warner Cable without imposing any regulatory conditions on the merger. In a letter to Google’s top executives, Common Cause et al wrote that “Over the last year, hundreds of thousands of Americans have signed petitions asking Google to end its ALEC membership because of their concerns about the harmful role ALEC has played in our democratic process… The public knows that the ALEC operation -- which brings state legislators and corporate lobbyists behind closed doors to discuss proposed legislation and share lavish dinners -- threatens our democracy. The public is asking Google to stop participating in this scheme.”

[Sept 5]