Fidelity Communications

Fidelity Communications is a telecommunications company in Missouri, United States which provides residential and business internet, television and phone services.[1]

In 2017 Fidelity Communications hired DM Web Dev Group to run an astroturfing campaign to discredit the city-run fiber broadband service in West Plains, Missouri through the website stopcityfundedinternet.com.[2][3]

In January 2018, YouTube 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.[4] The campaign appeared to be in response to the city of West Plains expanding their broadband network, and advocated for the end of municipal broadband on the basis that it was too risky.[5][6] Days later, Fidelity released a letter admitting to sponsoring the campaign.[6][3]

References
  1. "Fidelity Communications Co., Inc.: Private Company Information - Bloomberg". www.bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2018-02-07.
  2. "Of course a mystery website attacking city-run broadband was run by an ISP. Of course". Retrieved 2018-02-07.
  3. "Cable operator Fidelity Communications admits it that secretly created the fake-grassroots "Stop City-Funded Internet" campaign to kill Missouri municipal net / Boing Boing". boingboing.net. Retrieved 2018-02-08.
  4. Isaac Protiva (January 31, 2018). Proof that Fidelity Communications is behind the Stop City Funded Internet campaign (Video). Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  5. "Stop City-Funded Internet". Archived from the original on January 29, 2018. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  6. Einenkel, Walter. "It turns out the Missouri grassroots "Stop City-Funded Internet" movement was a cable monopoly". Daily Kos. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
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