preserve an open Internet

[Ladywriter 7,783]

Comcast, AT&T, and Verizon -- the most powerful broadband providers -- are trying to fundamentally change the way the Internet works. They're seeking to make even bigger profits by acting as gatekeepers over what we see and do online. If they succeed, the Internet would be more like radio and television: a few major corporations would control which voices are heard most easily, and it would be much harder for grassroots groups, individuals, and small businesses to compete with large corporations and well-funded special interests. The FCC wants to do the right thing and keep the Internet open, but the big providers have been attacking their efforts, with help from Black leaders who have financial ties to the industry. And a recent court ruling just made the FCC's job even tougher.[1] If the FCC is to preserve an open Internet, they will have to boldly assert their authority and press even harder. It's why they need to hear directly from everyday people about the importance of an open Internet, now.

Will you join me in sending a message to the Federal Communications Commission supporting their effort to preserve an open Internet? It takes only a moment:

http://www.colorofchange.org/opennet/?id=2098-944090

[Ladywriter 7,783]

The future of freedom and openness on the Internet is in danger.

A federal appeals court ruled yesterday that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) doesn't have the authority to protect Internet users. The decision instead grants cable companies and Internet service providers the power to filter and control the conversation so vital to our democracy.

That's the bad news. The good news is that there is a solution. But we'll need you to act quickly to make it happen.

Tell the FCC that we can't let the courts take away net neutrality -- the First Amendment for the Internet.

The FCC needs to act swiftly to "reclassify" broadband under the Communications Act.

Let me explain (hang in there, some of this gets wonky) During the Bush Administration, the FCC decided to treat broadband Internet service provider the same as Internet companies like Facebook – placing them outside the legal framework that traditionally applied to the companies that offer two-way communications services.

That decision is what first put net neutrality in jeopardy, and it's the loophole that Comcast used when they took this case to court.

But, the FCC can change broadband back to a "communications service," which is where it should have been in the first place. By reclassifying broadband, all of these questions about authority will fall away and the FCC can pick up where it left off – protecting the Internet for the public.

Please contact the FCC today and urge them to act.

Internet service providers should not be able to impose their own restrictions and regulations on how citizens access information. Companies like Comcast are not interested in protecting this open forum – they are driven by their own profit motives.

Let's stand together to protect an open Internet.

Sincerely,

Bob Edgar

and the rest of the team at Common Cause

P.S. Need more information about net neutrality and the court decision yesterday? Check out these resources:

* "Court rules for Comcast over FCC in 'net neutrality' case", Washington Post

* "Common Cause Blasts Court Decision Undermining Net Neutrality", press release

* "The Courts Can't Take Away Our Internet", Save The Internet Blog

[Eli 474]

Done.

[Sledgstone 8,672]

I heard about this ruling earlier today. The net must stay free. x_x