Roku has hired a team of lobbyists as it gears up for a net neutrality fight

Roku appears to be arming itself for the coming network neutrality war. Roku has hired a pair of Republican lobbyists through an outside government-affairs firm, according to a federal ethics reports, specifically to focus on net neutrality. It’s the first time the company has ever retained lobbyists in Washington, DC.

For years, Netflix had been a primary political player in this fight, as a public advocate for strong open internet rules that sparred openly with the likes of Comcast. As Netflix has struck deals with the cable giant and others to speed up its traffic, however, the streaming company has tempered its tone. Enter Roku, which, unlike Netflix, soon may find reason to be even more vocal in the debate: The company is considering whether it should launch an over-the-top pay TV service, apparently. In other words, it increasingly could find itself in direct competition with internet providers.