Is Google Breaking Its Net Neutrality Promises?

Late Sunday night the Twitters started to fly:

"Beware the all powerful Google"
"Google now officially evil"
"Contemplating a boycott of Google"

Some twelve hours later and Twitterers turned on the Wall Street Journal, calling its reporting "sloppy," "bogus," and a "fairy tale." Yes, sir, a big brouhaha is brewing in Silicon Valley.

It started when the Journal reported Google is quietly talking to major cable and phone companies about a deal that would create a fast lane for its own content. This flies in the face of the Valley's -- and Google's -- avowed commitment to Net neutrality, or the idea that everybody deserves an equal shot, and the best, not the richest, should win.

The Journal quoted one executive who was skittish of the idea, saying, "If we did this, Washington would be on fire."

Everyone is indeed on fire. Google was quick to deny the allegations in the story, which also suggests Microsoft has backed away from strong Net neutrality rhetoric of late.

Google head of public affairs Richard Whitt called the article "confused" and "hyperbolic," and said that Google was simply moving content like YouTube videos physically closer to end users, which would ultimately reduce Web congestion. Called "edge caching," it's a common practice by service providers and well-heeled Web companies. 
 
That may be true. But this is still an advantage. "The reason Google can do this is because the company has the resources and the network infrastructure to pull this off," wrote Om Malik. "That alone gives the company an advantage over others." Bigger, successful companies always have advantages over the small. The question is whether this one is unfair.

Meanwhile, a key Obama advisor, Stanford's Lawrence Lessig, also slammed the Journal, when he came home to an inbox of angry emails. He doesn't dispute that he believes companies should be able to pay for faster or greater access, rather the fact that the Journal called this a "softening" of his stance. He called the article an effort to "gin up drama."

In the earliest days of his campaign, Barack Obama won over Silicon Valley with his vocal commitment to neutrality. At Google's own campus a year ago, he stirred the crowd saying, "I will take a back seat to no one in my commitment to network neutrality."

That will be tested quickly, as Web advocates push for legislation on the issue as soon as the new president takes office. Lessig says he's seen no change in Obama's views. We'll see if one Obama's top supporters, Google CEO Eric Schmidt, is still leading the charge come 2009.