This Is How Comcast Is Astroturfing the Net Neutrality Issue

[n2doc]

By its own admission, Comcast is working with think tanks like the American Enterprise Institute. Fellows at the Institute are printing op-eds all throughout the media in support of killing Net neutrality--without disclosing the think tank's ties to Comcast.

By Ben Collins

In February, the Washington Post published a story detailing Comcast’s immense lobbying power in Washington—and how that might lead to potential astroturfing (or masked, artificial grassroots support spurred on by lobbies or corporations) on the web for issues like its merger with Time Warner Cable.

“They’ve spread a lot of money around town to a lot of places, just for moments like this,” said Craig Aaron, president of Free Press, a consumer advocacy group that opposes the Time Warner Cable merger. At a minimum, Comcast could encourage the deal’s critics to sit out the debate, he said. “At best, they’ve got a whole network of people advocating for them.”

Comcast “has worked with most of the major think tanks in town who are interested in communications issues,” including the Aspen Institute, the Brookings Institution and the American Enterprise Institute, [Comcast spokesperson Sena] Fitzmaurice said, declining to provide further details.

A Net neutrality proposal—one that Comcast publicly supports and has been subject of protest and mainstream media criticism from those who believe the rules would slow innovation, limit speech and drive up the cost of access to the Internet—is open for public comment.

And now, op-eds in favor of the unpopular proposal from Comcast-linked think tanks are appearing in major publications—from the Wall Street Journal to U.S News and World Report—without disclosing the institution's ties to Comcast.

http://www.esquire.com/blogs/news/comcast-astroturfing-net-neutrality