Who's against Net neutrality? Follow the money
Forget big data -- in the case of Net neutrality, just a little bit of data tells a compelling story. Last week, the nonpartisan research organization MapLight, which focuses on campaign financing, sent me a handful of numbers that indicate just how heavily the cable industry has backed members of Congress who oppose FCC reclassification of the Internet as a public utility under Title II of the Communications Act.
Reclassification of the Internet as a public utility is one of the only options left after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit struck down the FCC's Net neutrality rules in January. This reclassification would ensure the cable industry treats all data on the Internet equally -- or, as the clever "No Slow Lane" campaign puts it, prevent those who own and operate the infrastructure from relegating those who can't afford to pay the piper to a sluggish, lower-tier Internet.
Aside from those who would profit directly from setting up Internet toll lanes, who's opposed to the reclassification? In the U.S. Congress, 28 representatives have signed letters to the FCC arguing against the reclassification. According to MapLight, these folks "have received, on average, $26,832 from the cable industry, 2.3 times more money than the average for all members of the House of Representatives, $11,651."
For your enlightenment, here are the top five recipients of contributions from cable interests who signed letters opposing reclassification, again courtesy of MapLight:
■ Greg Walden (R-Ore) has recieved $109,250
■ Eric Cantor (R-Va.) has received $80,800
■ John Boehner (R-Ohio) has received $75,450
■ Fred Upton (R-Mich.) has received $65,000
■ John Barrow (D-Ga.) has received $60,500 (SHAME)
This is not a partisan issue. MapLight observes that house minority leader Nancy Pelosi owns more stock in Comcast than any other member of the House of Representatives. As VentureBeat noted last week, "Pelosi isn't exploiting her leadership position to galvanize support for the cause."
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http://www.infoworld.com/t/net-neutrality/whos-against-net-neutrality-follow-the-money-242706