This Thursday, Trump’s Federal Communications Commission (FCC) could destroy the open internet. Big cable and phone companies like Comcast, Verizon, and AT&T have been lobbying for years to end net neutrality so they charge us extra fees, throttle the speed of content they don’t like or outright censor speech critical of corporations or the political elite.
There’s no two ways about it, without an open internet, the Resistance is in trouble. But Congress can put a stop to all of this by demanding the FCC uphold the principle of net neutrality.
Net neutrality is a basic concept: your internet provider cannot slow down your browsing on certain pages, block websites, or charge apps and sites extra fees to reach an audience. All legal content is treated the same.
It’s been crucial to new movements around the world because it ensures activists can share news and ideas at the same speed as corporations and governments. If you streamed a video from Standing Rock, shared a photo of that Greenpeace RESIST banner over the white house, or just shared an online petition with a friend – you’re using Net Neutrality.
That’s why we’re teaming up with a huge team of internet-powered businesses and groups today to call on Congress to save Net Neutrality. Can you help? Use the widget on this page to Write Congress first, then call Congress; Then, click here to Break the Internet.
I won’t lie, With Trump’s hand-picked chairman, Ajit Pai, in charge (a former Verizon lawyer and lobbyist), the FCC is almost certain to vote 3-2 (three Republicans to 2 Democrats) in favor of gutting net neutrality. This after what has clearly been a flawed and hacked comment period where the FCC managed to ignore hundreds of thousands of comments while still (apparently) getting hacked by Russian trolls. And just this week a leaked video shows FCC chairman Pai “joking” about being a Verizon puppet.
But here’s the thing, no matter what Pai and 2 other FCC commissioners do this week, the battle for the internet isn’t over, it’s just getting started. The decision will most likely be challenged in court. And the delay is critical. Every day our team gets bigger and stronger:
Just today, nearly 40 Senate Democrats and two independents sent a letter to Pai, urging him to abandon the proposal, which they called a “stunning regulatory overreach.” They’re joined by a small but growing number of Republicans like Rep. Mike Coffman of Colorado, who wrote today asking the FCC to delay the vote and expressing concern of “unanticipated negative consequences.”
The fine people at Battleforthenet.com have a plan so that EVERYONE can sound the alarm and drive a flood of net neutrality action to Congress before Thursday. Here’s some of their ideas:
- Change your Facebook relationship status to “Married” (to net neutrality) and add a comment linking to BattleForTheNet.com
- Add a new “job” on LinkedIn: “Defending Net Neutrality at BattleForTheNet.com” and make sure you’ve got the “notify people when my profile changes” setting on.
- Change your Twitter and Instagram featured website to BattleForTheNet.com and post frequently using the content.
- Sites and blogs like ours are using this widget to drive action and calls.
Get everything you need to “Break the Internet” for the 48 hours before the FCC vote here.
Net Neutrality is the last vestige left of free speech. The entire TV, Radio, Newspaper, and Magazine media are now the mouthpieces of the huge corporation (and in fact they themselves ARE huge corporations). The internet is the only place where truth can now be spoken and where the truth is available to the public. We are headed toward complete fascism. Save the Internet.
Reversing Net Neutrality which was voted for in 2015 is a violation of our First Amendment Rights. “We have the right to free speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” That is the 18th Century version and the 21st Century version is that all persons shall have equal access to the internet so that they freely and openly may express themselves and as well to read the press that has the equal right to publish. Additionally, to equally make use of the internet to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
The internet needs to remain open. Please for the love of democracy and freedom do not allow this to happen.
Keep the internet away from Verizon and other giant companies that want their hands in the pot.Keep it the way it is.do not change what works.
Everything this administration wants to do is in the interests of big business and big money. Eliminating net neutrality would be more of the same. If the corporations who would get to run the internet show if this passes will surely reap the benefits, while we little, average folk will be the ones to be hurt. Not only will it be more costly for us, but the corporations will determine everything concerning speed and what we can or cannot access. And a major point is that we will be robbed of free speech. Net neutrality must be protected for everyone’s sake.
Net neutrality is necessary to provide open and free access to the internet for all. Repealing this measure will deprive American citizens internet access and allow large providers to unfairly control the internet.
We need an internet that is open where evetyone has equal access and free from censorship. Large corporations and businesses already have plenty of opportunities to advertise their products. They should not be aboe to shut down others that may be thrir comtipn or say things they don’t agree with. It is not their place to decide what can be on the internet and what can’t be.
This is extremely important!
The internet is working well and open to big and little people alike. It ain’t broke so do not fix it, especially if this causes the big people to cut out the little ones. The internet MUST be open equally to everyone.
The internet is just a conduit, like the telephone and telegraph. The corporations should have nothing to do with what is passed through the lines. The powers that be want us to be mushrooms: kept in the dark and fed fecal matter.
This is our internet! Leave it alone.
The internet should be free and open.
corporate swine should learn to leave well enough alone. hackers will have unbounded field days with corporate rigged internet! just wait and see!
Pai is wrong. Open and free communication is what drives innovation.
The internet needs to remain open and equally accessible to all