The Politico: The Human Face of Net Neutrality

Excerpt:
"By traditional lobbying standards, it would seem the telephone gang has the edge. In the 2004 election cycle and the start of the 2006 midterms, the phone companies' total political contributions amounted to $9.1 million compared with the West Coast newcomers' $2.7 million, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. The telephone coalition also spent more than $255 million in 2003 and 2004 to influence members compared with the Internet coalition's $43.8 million, the center's research found.

But each side also is aligned with grass-roots activists, recruiting citizen lobbyists who can humanize the complex issue for lawmakers in a way that a campaign contribution check never could. That's where the Internet team has gained an edge. It is working with Save the Internet, a group that includes Internet users, and MoveOn.org, a Democratically aligned online organization with millions of members and plenty of close relationships with the new leadership in Congress.

The two sides fought to a draw in the last Congress. Legislation favored by the telephone companies passed in the Republican-controlled House but stalled in the Senate, where the Internet team had more time to work the members. Now, some of their biggest Democratic champions are sitting in committee chairs, which should make moving the legislation forward an easy lift. So far, though, that has not happened, as the war in Iraq and other issues drew higher priority."

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0407/3461.html

Alex

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