WASHINGTON, D.C. – A new bipartisan poll released today finds that an overwhelming majority of American voters favor video choice over onerous “Net Neutrality” regulations.  Conducted by The Glover Park Group and Public Opinion Strategies LLC, the nation-wide survey of 800 registered voters also finds that 90 percent of Americans believe it is important to have a choice of service providers for cable TV. Bill McInturf, co-founder of Public Opinion Strategies, and Amy Phee, partner at The Glover Park Group presented the bipartisan survey’s results. The Glover Park Group is headed by Joe Lockhart, former press secretary to President Bill Clinton, and is widely used by Democratic strategists. Public Opinion Strategies has conducted polling for a variety of Republican candidates including Republican presidential hopefuls.

 

The survey found that very few registered voters are familiar with the issue of network neutrality. In some regions of the country, only 5 percent of likely voters had even heard of “Net Neutrality.” The survey found broad support for a “Consumer Internet Bill of Rights,” like that contained in the Senate’s communications bill. The provision contained in the Senate bill prevents Internet service providers from blocking access to competitors or degrading a consumer’s broadband service.  According to the survey, when presented with a choice between video choice and additional net neutrality legislation, an overwhelming majority of voters supported video choice.

 

The survey said the vast majority of likely voters favor choice in cable TV because it would likely result in lower prices (82 percent), better customer service (81 percent), delivery of new technologies and enhanced services to customers (78 percent), and higher quality programming, such as high definition TV and video on demand content (73 percent).

 

Of the consumer benefits in the Senate legislation, respondents ranked three of the potential benefits very high. (1) Funding to help deploy broadband, create communications networks for first responders and develop services for the disabled was important to 88 percent; (2)the creation of a streamlined national approval process for companies to bring more cable choice faster received 80 percent; and (3) finally, approval of a “Consumer Internet Bill of Rights” like that contained in the current legislation was important to 78 percent of those contacted.

 

The poll was funded by Verizon and the results have a sampling error of plus or minus 3.46 percentage points.

 

The poll is attached.

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