Freedom Line Blog

As we’ve often noted, Google is one of the biggest corporate lobbyists for Net Neutrality, by which federal regulations and bureaucrats would do to the Internet what they’ve done to public education. This is corporate welfare of the worst kind, as Google seeks to cement its business model of free-riding on telecommunications infrastructure through government dictate.

But it raises the question – why not attach “Search Neutrality” amendments to any Net Neutrality legislation that it advocates?  After all, Google justifies its lobbying on the ground that Internet service providers are somehow ready to spring their sinister plan to block consumer access to various websites.  Never mind that we’ve gone two decades without any substantive problem in this regard, and never mind that the marketplace would punish any service provider that actually attempted to block consumer choice in that manner.  But even accepting its rationalization at face value, isn’t Google just as capable of blocking sites in its search results?  What is to stop THEM from suffocating consumer access?

Accordingly, we propose that if Google is serious, how about adding a “Search Neutrality” provision to any Net Neutrality bill that it advocates?  Paraphrasing your own motto, Google, don’t be evil.