Why a top net neutrality activist took a gig with an Internet provider

At the height of the war over network neutrality, Marvin Ammori was one of the most outspoken critics of Internet providers, calling for tough new rules to make sure they don't block, slow or selectively speed up Web sites in exchange for cash. Now he's been hired by the very industry he spent so long attacking.

So why has Ammori switched sides? As part of its attempt to buy up Time Warner Cable, Charter is offering certain concessions that it hopes will defuse any regulator concerns about the deal being anti-competitive. A net neutrality commitment is just one of these -- and Ammori says he helped write it. "Charter is offering the strongest network neutrality commitments ever offered -- in any merger or, to my knowledge, in any nation," Ammori wrote. "It certainly wasn't 'Marvin, cheerlead for us,'" said Ammori. "It was, 'Give us advice,' and I definitely signaled to them that you can't bring a merger nowadays without bringing strong net neutrality conditions." Charter is part of the cable association that's currently suing to have the net neutrality rules overturned. But Charter clearly hopes that having the stamp of approval from a major net neutrality advocate will grease its path at the Federal Communications Commission, which must approve the TWC deal. Now it's time to see if that strategy will pay off.