Net neutrality is not a liberal-vs.-conservative issue

All hopes for a reasoned discussion on Net neutrality seemingly flew out the window this week, as President Obama issued a strong statement calling on the FCC to reclassify ISPs as Title II carriers in order to preserve a free and open Internet. And though a new poll shows Net neutrality is not a liberal-vs.-conservative issue, that's undeniably how it will play out in Congress.

The results of a survey released this week by the University of Delaware's Center for Political Communication show that Net neutrality is an overwhelmingly bipartisan issue, with 81 percent of Americans opposing the idea of ISPs charging websites and services to prioritize their Internet traffic. Republicans were slightly more likely to favor Net neutrality, with 81 percent of Democrats and 85 percent of Republicans saying they opposed fast lanes.

But Republicans in Congress have long carried the telecom's fight against regulation and -- surely this is not at all related? -- received the largest chunk from the $16.4 million Comcast has strewn on Capitol Hill this year. House Speaker John Boehner (who has received nearly twice as much from Comcast as any other member of Congress) was among the first to denounce Obama, saying, "It's disappointing, but not surprising, that the Obama administration continues to disregard the people's will and push for more mandates on our economy."

I guess he didn't have a chance yet to look at that survey regarding "the people's will" on this issue.
<snip>

http://www.infoworld.com/article/2847400/net-neutrality/net-neutrality-is-not-a-liberal-vs-conservative-issue.html