The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #128618 Message #2881084
Posted By: michaelr
06-Apr-10 - 09:40 PM
Thread Name: BS: A blow to Internet neutrality-update-good news
Subject: RE: BS: A blow to Internet neutrality
Well, we can try to do something about it by making a public comment:
From MoveOn.org
Since 2006, MoveOn members have been working to save the free and open Internet. And now, for the first time, we're on the verge of making an open Internet the law of the land.
The Federal Communications Commission is getting ready to rule on net neutrality—the key principle that keeps the internet open to all. But Comcast, AT&T, and Verizon know it, so they're fighting in court and claiming the FCC doesn't have the authority to do its job.
It's a smokescreen. The FCC still has all the authority it needs to make net neutrality the law. The only question is whether it'll have the political will to take on these corporate giants.
That's where the SavetheInternet.com Coalition comes in. We already have 1.75 million voices telling Washington that we must make net neutrality the law, but we're aiming for two million.
The FCC is only taking public comments until this Thursday before making a final ruling, so we need 250,000 signatures today and tomorrow to send a resounding message that the FCC won't be able to ignore.
Can you add your name below, and then tell your friends to sign so we reach two million?
The Internet is the future of communications, and we need to keep it open, available and affordable to all Americans so it can continue to drive free speech, democratic participation, and economic growth. Net neutrality ensures that you can go anywhere and access whatever you want on the Internet, without having to pay corporate gatekeepers for the privilege.
Without net neutrality, AT&T could charge its subscribers more to visit the website of their local bookstore than Amazon.com.2 Or, as one DSL provider was caught doing just yesterday, they could start forcing you to use their own search engine instead of Google.3 And they'd love that extra profit, so they've sent armies of lobbyists to Washington to in one final push to control the internet.
When MoveOn members joined with hundreds of other organizations to form the SavetheInternet.com coalition in 2006, we could only dream of having a president who would fight to make net neutrality the law. But with President Obama's support, and his appointee Julius Genachowski chairing the FCC, we're on the verge of winning a huge victory for a free and open Internet.4 Can you add your name and tell your friends to help us reach our goal of 2 million signatures by this Thursday?