[Peace-discuss] Fw: Giving up on Internet freedom

[Jenifer Cartwright]

--- On Wed, 5/5/10, James Rucker, ColorOfChange.org <no-reply at colorofchange.org> wrote:

From: James Rucker, ColorOfChange.org <no-reply at colorofchange.org>
Subject: Giving up on Internet freedom
To: "Jenifer Cartwright" <jencart13 at yahoo.com>
Date: Wednesday, May 5, 2010, 11:55 AM


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Can you call the White House right away?  Tell them that you support a free and open Internet, and urge the FCC to reassert its full authority to regulate the companies that provide Internet access.










Here's where to call:

(202) 456-1111

Once you've called, please report your call:




















Dear Jenifer,

There's an urgent threat to the reality of a free and open Internet -- and President Obama needs to hear from you right away.

We learned this weekend that the Federal Communications Commission is ready to side with powerful telecom lobbyists and abandon net neutrality, the principle that keeps the Internet open to all.  President Obama's FCC chair could decide this week not to reclaim the authority needed to regulate broadband companies.1  

If this happens, Comcast, Verizon, and AT&T will be free to abuse their role as Internet gatekeepers, and we'll all suffer as a result.  This decision is flying under the radar right now -- if we want to stop it, we need to generate a serious outcry.

Can you call President Obama today and ask him to stand up for a free and open Internet?  Here's where to call: 

(202) 456-1111

Here's a sample message you can use:

My name is [your name], and I'm calling from [your location].  I want to tell President Obama that I support an open Internet.  He should ensure that the FCC asserts its authority to regulate broadband companies and protect net neutrality.

Then, please report your call by clicking here:

http://www.colorofchange.org/nncalls/?id=2143-1141418

Thanks to decisions by the Bush administration, the agency charged with overseeing U.S. communications (the FCC) has very limited authority to regulate Internet communications.2 But the FCC can reassert its authority by simply "reclassifying" Internet access under a new category. And given President Obama's pledge to expand open and affordable broadband Internet access across America, the news that his FCC chair may make the wrong decision is extremely disturbing.

This is a huge deal -- whatever decision the FCC makes will have an enormous impact on how we can use the Internet.  Maintaining net neutrality is crucial to keep the Internet open, available and affordable to all Americans. It ensures that you can go anywhere on the Internet without having to pay corporate gatekeepers for the privilege.

For communities that have often been marginalized in traditional media like television or radio, net neutrality provides access to a global audience -- for entertainment, education, or political organizing -- without prohibitive costs, or mediation by corporate gatekeepers.  Net neutrality protects our political and cultural expression by keeping the Internet open, available and affordable to all Americans.  

But without net neutrality, Comcast or Verizon could force you to use their own search engine instead of Google, or they could charge you more to visit Overstock.com than Target.com.  Worse, they could block or slow down access to blogs and websites with messages they don't like, or use any number of other methods to direct traffic to their preferred sites, and restrict your freedom of choice and expression.

It's a scary thought. And President Obama needs to hear from as many people as possible right now urging him to make sure he and his FCC don't let this happen.

Can you call the White House at (202) 456-1111 today? 

Then click here to let us know you called:

http://www.colorofchange.org/nncalls/?id=2143-1141418

Thanks and Peace,

-- James, Gabriel, William, Dani, Milton and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
   May 5, 2010
Help support our work. ColorOfChange.org is powered by YOU -- your energy and dollars. We take no money from lobbyists or large corporations that don't share our values, and our tiny staff ensures your contributions go a long way. You can contribute here:

https://secure.colorofchange.org/contribute/


References

1. "FCC Chairman Genachowski expected to leave broadband services deregulated," The Washington Post, May 3, 2010

http://act.colorofchange.org/go/222?akid=1445.394109.3kIE9f&t=6

2. "Obama Administration to break promise and cave to telecoms, leave the Internet unprotected?" Firedoglake, May 3, 2010

http://act.colorofchange.org/go/223?akid=1445.394109.3kIE9f&t=8




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