Ethan Baron

As President Donald Trump goes to war against Silicon Valley technology firms over what he believes is a left-wing bias against conservatives, a right-wing group has launched a lawsuit targeting this region’s tech giants and accusing them of a conspiracy.

Google has come under attack by a mysterious group that keeps mum about its sponsors while issuing scathing reports about the company’s influence on government. Among its recent revelations: High-ranking Google execs have had more than 20 "intimate" meetings with President Barack Obama, and the company has a revolving-door employment relationship with the federal government.

While the backers of the "Google Transparency Project" may be hidden, its purpose is clear, observers say: To offer purportedly objective research and commentary that can be used to thwart Google's burgeoning power in Washington (DC) and elsewhere, much as similar "think tanks" have sought to undermine the environmental lobby or promote development projects. When you're successful, you're on top of the hill. You become a target," said Michael Cusumano, a professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management who studies the technology industry.

Google's plan to at least temporarily suspend its fiber program and experiment with high-speed wireless internet delivery in Silicon Valley is the latest sign of how the search giant is playing a key role in jump-starting cheaper, faster service around the country.

Google has done that, in part, by pushing competitors like AT&T and Comcast to move faster in boosting internet speed. While Google may be coming out ahead in this clash of titans -- faster and more widespread internet service means more clicks on Google ads -- the clear winner is the public, as the best and most affordable internet service is delivered to more and more customers across the U.S., analysts said.

"It's a very big deal," said Blair Levin, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. "From a public policy perspective, this is a great game. We're doing more on the internet and because of this we'll be able to do it better and faster and cheaper." And that plays right into Google's advertising-based business model.