In a further blow to those pressing for the institution of controversial net neutrality rules, it emerged on Monday that the Gun Owners of America (GOA) has exited the Save the Internet coalition backed by pro-regulation liberal groups such as Free Press.
GOA’s departure came after sustaining heavy criticism from conservative blog RedState for its support for net neutrality, and the organization’s willingness to associate itself politically with prominent liberal groups in the context of backing the proposal. Organizations such as SEIU and MoveOn.org are members of Save the Internet along with Free Press, which itself serves as Coalition Coordinator.
GOA spokesman Erich Pratt said in a statement to The Hill that “Back in 2006 we supported net neutrality, as we had been concerned that AOL and others might continue to block pro-second amendment issues.” But, he added, “The issue has now become one of government control of the Internet, and we are 100 percent opposed to that.”
GOA’s move comes in the wake of several corporations that had previously been strong supporters of net neutrality signaling their support for compromise positions that would be far less regulation-intensive than what Save the Internet coalition members have typically advocated. Notably, Google recently announced its agreement with Verizon on a “regulation-lite” proposal.
Free Press, for its part, seems to be dismissing the move as something to be anticipated given that midterm elections are just around the corner. “Anytime you approach an election, these issues tend to be politicized,” said Tim Karr, Save the Internet’s campaign manager.
Some tech observers, however, contend that the movement away from a strong net neutrality stance by GOA and others signals that net neutrality advocates’ preferred policy increasingly looks heavy-handed, in view of technological changes and industry practices. They say more movement might occur in the coming months– including after November.