Fidelity Communications is a telecommunications company in
Missouri
Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
which provides residential and business internet, television and phone services.
In 2017 Fidelity Communications hired DM Web Dev Group to run an
astroturfing
Astroturfing is the practice of masking the sponsors of a message or organization (e.g., political, advertising, religious or public relations) to make it appear as though it originates from and is supported by grassroots participants. It is a p ...
campaign to discredit the city-run fiber broadband service in
West Plains, Missouri
West Plains is a city in, and the county seat of Howell County, Missouri, United States. The population was 12,184 at the 2020 census.
History
The history of West Plains can be traced back to 1832, when settler Josiah Howell (after whom Howell ...
through the website stopcityfundedinternet.com.
In January 2018,
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
user Isaac Protiva uploaded a video revealing that Fidelity Communications was behind an initiative called "Stop City-Funded Internet," based on the fact that some images on the Stop City-Funded Internet website had "Fidelity" in their file names. The campaign appeared to be in response to the city of
West Plains
West Plains is a city in, and the county seat of Howell County, Missouri, United States. The population was 12,184 at the 2020 census.
History
The history of West Plains can be traced back to 1832, when settler Josiah Howell (after whom Howell ...
expanding their broadband network, and advocated for the end of
municipal broadband on the basis that it was too risky.
Days later, Fidelity released a letter admitting to sponsoring the campaign.
[
]
References
External links
Official website
stopcityfundedinternet.com
an astroturf website paid for by Fidelity Communications
Telecommunications companies of the United States
{{US-telecom-company-stub