Google Blocking of Amazon Draws ACA Criticism, Google Defense

The American Cable Association's chief criticized Google for blocking access to YouTube on Amazon’s Echo Show and FireTV because Amazon won't carry Google's Chromecast and Google Home (see 1712050065), but Google defended the move. Reacting to a report on the blocking, ACA's Matt Polka noted "the #TitleII#NetNeutrality crowd ... wants heavy regulation on #broadband#ISPs because of the THREAT that ISPs could block or throttle." His tweet continued that such pro-Title II Communications Act advocates "say NOTHING about actual blocking and throttling by the @Google-Machine and other #EdgeProviders! Can’t make this stuff up, Folks!" Polka's tweet was retweeted by Nathan Leamer, policy adviser to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. Polka emailed us he's not "suggesting there should be ANY regulation either, because Congress would have to provide the authority." It’s "incredibly ironic" backers of "heavy-handed regulations on ISPs for the THREAT of what ISPs MIGHT do say NOTHING when Google, Amazon, Twitter, Facebook, etc., ACTUALLY and IN FACT block, discriminate, throttle and give themselves and their networks preferential treatment," the ACA CEO emailed Wednesday. "It’s not intellectually consistent for those who say they want the net to be NEUTRAL." The Internet Association didn't comment. A Google representative said it has "been trying to reach agreement with Amazon to give consumers access to each other's products and services. But Amazon doesn't carry" some Google products, doesn't make Prime Video available for Google Cast users and last month "stopped selling some of Nest's latest products. We hope we can reach an agreement to resolve these issues soon.”