Verizon shareholders voted down a proposal that would...

Verizon shareholders voted down a proposal that would have detailed how the company is “responding to regulatory, competitive, legislative and public pressure” to ensure its network management polices and practices promote net neutrality. The proposal was up for a vote at Verizon’s annual meeting Thursday in Phoenix. Four other shareholder proposals were defeated, a Verizon news release said, dealing with lobbying activities, severance approval policy, shareholder right to call a special meeting, and shareholder right to act by written consent. The proposal was sponsored by the Nathan Cummings Foundation, a liberal think tank that owns nearly 6,000 shares (CD March 25 p13). The Verizon board “strongly disagrees” with the contention that the company “has not provided its customers with evidence” of a commitment to open Internet policies, a March proxy statement said (http://bit.ly/1h2dEvG).