Cable companies are rattled over public demand for net neutrality. But VICE believes that they've got it so bad that they're funding consumer groups to rally against a democratic internet.


The site believes that cable companies are funding astroturfing campaigns across the U.S. to parrot their views. It points to Broadband for America, for instance, which claims to be a coalition of independent advocacy groups, but is in fact funded by the NCTA—the lobbyist organisation for big cable. Then there's the American Consumer Institute, an anti-net neutrality group which receives the majority of its funding from the CTIA—which represents the American wireless industry.

It's not illegal to donate money to consumer groups. It's not illegal for consumer groups to speak out against net neutrality. But when you have to pay people to get your point heard, it's difficult to believe that much good can come to the wider world as a result of your beliefs. Remember, you can still tell the FCC what you think about its plans to reform broadband. [VICE via Engadget]

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