If Google approached its entry into the Net Neutrality debate the way it has approached business, what would that look like?
I've penned an op-ed about what Google should do that just got posted at CNET.com News.
Google hired some high-powered lobbying and public relations firms in DC recently, and apparently they're being advised to "diversify" their political giving. I don't think this will sit well within the Googleplex in Mountain View, California. (Any Google employees here?)
A true Google politics probably wouldn't wear a suit, charge $500 an hour or perpetuate an exclusive campaign finance system in which a few well-connected corporations, interest groups and wealthy donors win out while the rest of us get left behind.
Here's a snippet to give you a sense of what I think they should do:
Take the Net neutrality debate. Instead of obeying consultants in Washington who will urge Google executives to give more to Republicans (or to Democrats if they take back Congress), what if Google worked to hand the Net neutrality issue over to the people? Instead of setting up an office in Washington, what about setting up a virtual campaign center on the Web?
Let's make this debate about what is right about democracy in America by engaging citizens and asking them to join the fray. Americans don't need a clash of the corporate titans, with both sides claiming to be pro-consumer. We don't want to be spoken for. If Net neutrality is won with an insider strategy without engaging real people, it will be fought all over again next year.
It's time for some new, citizen-focused paradigms in politics, in how campaigns are run--like the Clean Elections bill moving through the California state legislature--and in how people relate to elected officials on important issues. It is already happening all around us with open-source approaches to politics like CivicSpace and Colorado-based ProgressNow, the political blogosphere with sites like DailyKos, and online fundraising. Why would Google place its bets on K Street rather than nurturing, pioneering and accelerating this innovation and change?
Is the Net Neutrality debate too hard for the people to get? I don't think so. Does an inside the Beltway preclude Google from engaging the people? I don't think so.
What do you think?