LISTEN UP, GUYS. If you’re not scared, then you’re not paying attention! In less than 48 hours the #FCC will be holding a vote on whether or not to repeal #NetNeutrality.
What this means: You will have to pay your internet providers extra money to use this dumb app, and all your other social media sites. It means you will pay extra to use sites for your college classes. I means you will pay extra money for Google. And it means your internet providers get to CONTROL what you see and what you don’t see.
Imagine the implications of this: LGBT youth being cut off from any and all lifelines, especially if living in a violent household, the wedge continuing to be driven between the rich and the rest of us, less access to jobs, less access to education, and most importantly, less access to information regarding what’s going on in our country.
Repealing Net Neutrality is a violation of our First Amendment rights. If conglomerate internet providers get to control what we see and what we don’t, they could limit our access to the information we need to stay informed.
PLEASE text “RESIST” to 50409. This is a Bot which will take your area/name so that you can TEXT your Representatives. YOU DON’T HAVE TO SPEAK TO ANYONE, THE WHOLE PROCESS TAKES 5 MINUTES! Your texts get send via fax directly to your Reps’ offices.
For fuck’s sake, this will impact EVERYONE, INCLUDING YOU. Text the Bot, “Tell Congress not to support repealing Net Neutrality, you fuckin’ wanker” if you have to. But you MUST do SOMETHING.
PARTICIPATE IN YOUR REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY!!!
In an open letter to the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation, and the Internet, 21 signatories said that FCC chairman Ajit Pai’s “rushed and technically incorrect” plan to repeal net neutrality “is an imminent threat to the internet we worked so hard to create.” They want the committee to ask Pai to cancel the vote, which is currently scheduled for December 14th.
The list includes some of the people responsible for creating the internet as we know it. That includes
Steven Bellovin, a former FTC chief technologist who helped develop Usenet
Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web
Vinton Cerf, who co-created the internet’s underlying TCP/IP protocol
Steve Crocker, who helped develop the protocols for internet predecessor ARPANET
Stephen Wolff, who helped transform the military ARPANET into a civilian research and communications network.
We are the pioneers and technologists who created and now operate the Internet, and some of the innovators and business people who, like many others, depend on it for our livelihood. We are writing to respectfully urge you to call on FCC Chairman Ajit Pai to cancel the December 14 vote on the FCC’s proposed Restoring Internet Freedom Order (WC Docket No. 17-108).
This proposed Order would repeal key network neutrality protections that prevent Internet access providers from blocking content, websites and applications, slowing or speeding up services or classes of service, and charging online services for access or fast lanes to Internet access providers’ customers.
The proposed Order would also repeal oversight over other unreasonable discrimination and unreasonable practices, and over interconnection with last-mile Internet access providers.
The proposed Order removes long-standing FCC oversight over Internet access providers without an adequate replacement to protect consumers, free markets and online innovation.
To quote from Google, the literal definition is: “the principle that Internet service providers should enable access to all content and applications regardless of the source, and without favoring or blocking particular products or websites.”
Essentially, net neutrality is what keeps the internet a level playing field for all who are able to access it and use it for all different purposes–these purposes could be simply browsing the web, streaming videos, making online purchases, using tumblr, twitter, facebook, instagram, snapchat, skype, whatsapp, youtube, or bigger things like starting your own company, having a website for your art portfolio, using online schooling, starting up an etsy shop, etc. Having net neutrality remain in place will give everyone an equal opportunity to use all of these sites and an equal opportunity to be successful when using the internet as a business platform.
If net neutrality is repealed, big cable companies like verizon, comcast, at&t, etc. will require either you or the websites you currently have access to to pay THEM (the big cable companies) significantly more money per site to be put in a “fast lane” connection so that you can access those sites with ease, leaving other sites that can’t afford to pay these huge fees left in an enormous shadow and requiring you to pay even MORE out of pocket just to access things you’ve always been able to.
Net neutrality is incredibly important. Some people are brushing it off as if it won’t be a big deal, but the entire principle of the internet is to be a level playing field and for everyone, no matter who you are, to have the exact same access as anyone else. Requiring you to pay fees for the sites you visit daily will be an incredible detriment to the ideal of freedom on the internet.
Please do not take this subject lightly, it is incredibly important.
Also please remember that if net neutrality is repealed, it is NOT the end. We still have to remain fighting for internet freedom. And if we win this first battle there WILL be more to come.
The latest #NetNeutrality update has been posted to District Dispatch. It includes ways that you can get involved today.
If you haven’t already, take some time to call or email your Senators and Representatives. Ask them to support net neutrality and tell them how your libraries benefit from strong, enforceable net neutrality protections.
Join protests online with some suggested social media messages on December 13 and 14:
Hey @AjitPaiFCC – America’s 120,000 libraries depend on equitable
and robust access to the internet to serve our communities. We need
#netneutrality!
.@FCC – Our libraries’ digital collections, podcasts, video
tutorials, and more rely on an open internet. @AjitPaiFCC, keep
#netneutrality!
#netneutrality is the First Amendment of the internet. @FCC, please
protect the right to read, create and share freely without commercial
gatekeepers.
OR tell us a story about what net neutrality means for your library and tag @ALALibrary, @FCC, @AjitPaiFCC
Guys we’re being presented with an opportunity to have Ajit Pai FIRED from his position which someone as corrupt and untrustworthy as him has no right to continue holding! SPREAD THE WORD!!!
#FireAjitPai
#FireAjitSavetheNet
Hello everyone! I’m writing this to say we should all be voting to save net neutrality. If you’re a student, content creator, content supporter, business owner, etc. everyone should do something. Here’s two ways I know that work great.
Resist Bot: Text RESIST to 50409. This is a simple way to help save net neutrality. All you do is follow what the messages will ask, which will be a name, an address, and later an email. This hooks you up to your congress and you can send a message to them. Then afterwards you will get an email confirming your message has sent.
Calling in: (202)-759-7766. This number will ask for your zip code to send you to a person who will send your message to congress. They will also ask for your address, and your name. Please don’t be mean or aggressive when you call because this is just the messenger who will be sending the message to congress.
What you can say/type: “Hello. I strongly oppose the FCC’s vote to overturn net neutrality laws.”
“I am alarmed at the FCC’s desire to end net neutrality. I support free and open internet and I hope my representative will do the same”
Tell your friends, your roommates, your family, your classmates, your followers, tell anyone who uses the internet! Please take in part of this!
