Just moments ago, the Federal Communications Commission voted to consider adopting rules that would end Net Neutrality and give the 1% a fast lane on the internet.
They did it in spite of a wave of public outrage towards the idea of a two-tiered internet: In addition to more than 100,000 signatures on petitions against the proposal, DFA members — along with activists working with Free Press, Demand Progress, CREDO and several other movement organizations — have flooded the FCC with so many calls that they had to literally turn their phones off.
But this isn’t the end of the fight for Net Neutrality. In fact, it’s just getting started.
Before these disastrous rules go into effect, the FCC is giving the public a period of time to weigh in on its proposed changes. The FCC is also giving the public a chance to weigh in on the idea of saving Net Neutrality by reclassifying the Internet as a utility. That’s an opportunity we have to take.
In today’s FCC meeting, Democratic commissioners expressed skepticism about these new rules and indicated that they are interested in hearing where the public stands. We need to make it crystal clear to all five FCC commissioners that the public demands Net Neutrality. That’s why we need your support today to super-charge our campaign telling the FCC that we will not accept a “slow lane” for anybody — we want broadband to be reclassified as a utility.
Lobbyists for corporate carriers like Verizon and AT&T are already gearing up to fight the coming war over who controls the internet. They’re terrified that the FCC will reclassify broadband because it would guarantee that they could never profit from giving the rich better internet access than everyone else. They’ll spend the next few weeks throwing influence around, making calls and setting up dinners like their livelihoods depend on it — because, in many ways, they do.
We can beat those corporate lobbyists and save the free and open internet, just like we did when we beat SOPA and PIPA.
We’re closer to winning than you may think. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler met with activists outside FCC headquarters and told them that he was open to hearing more arguments for reclassifying broadband — and doubled down on that rhetoric at today’s hearing. It’s unclear what his intentions are, but our activism is clearly influencing how Wheeler and the FCC approach Net Neutrality. That’s why this campaign is so uniquely important.
Thanks for fighting the good fight to keep the internet open and free,
– Charles
Charles Chamberlain, Executive Director
Democracy for America