• by Wendy Davis  @wendyndavis, August 11, 2006

Google already has pushed for "net neutrality" laws in Washington. Now, the search giant is taking its case to stockholders.

In a filing this week with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Google cited as a potential business risk the possibility that Internet service providers would block access to certain Google sites, or charge users more for visiting them. "Some ... providers have stated that they may take measures that could degrade, disrupt, or increase the cost of user access to certain of our products by restricting or prohibiting the use of their infrastructure to support or facilitate our offerings, or by charging increased fees to us or our users to provide our offerings," the company stated. "These activities may be permitted in the U.S. after recent regulatory changes, including recent decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court and Federal Communications Commission and under legislation being considered by the U.S. Congress."

Google has been at the forefront of efforts to pass laws enshrining net neutrality, or the principle that Internet service operators shouldn't discriminate against certain Web publishers, either by refusing to transmit their content or charging higher prices for faster transmission.

Last June, the Senate Commerce Committee turned back an attempt to write such a provision into a telecom overhaul bill. The bill remains under consideration in the Senate.