AT&T, Google Battle Over Web Rules
Google, the powerhouse of Silicon Valley, and AT&T, champion for the old-line phone industry, are marshaling political allies, lobbyists and—in AT&T's case—labor unions for a fight over proposed "net neutrality" rules that could affect tens of billions of dollars in investments needed to upgrade the U.S. broadband network, which lags in speed and affordability compared with some countries.
Thus far, there have been only two high-profile instances of blocking or slowing Internet traffic, and both stopped soon after the FCC told the companies to knock it off.
Sounds to me like Goggle and AT&T are playing out a contrived public feud to kiss the ass of lobbyists on the Democratic side of the argument. Fair-minded Republicans are stepping in as peacekeepers as usual saying quit the antics and grow the pie instead of fighting for scraps while consumer internet connectivity degrades over time. Liberals are all around squabbling douchebags wherever you find them.
