SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
"There's only one way to stand up for real net neutrality--and to stand on the right side of history--and that's by voting for the resolution of disapproval to restore these essential safeguards," said Craig Aaron, president and CEO of Free Press Action Fund. (Image: Fight for the Future)
'Red Alert for Net Neutrality': Campaigners Announce New Effort to Overturn FCC's Assault on Open Internet
The coordinated action will begin May 9, when Democrats have said they will take steps to force a vote on a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution
Apr 30, 2018
With their sights firmly set on restoring the protections the Republican-controlled FCC repealed, advocates for net neutrality on Monday announced a new campaign to get senators' phones ringing off the hook with constituents demanding the lawmakers save the open internet before time runs out.
"Every internet user, every startup, every small business--the internet must come together to sound the alarm and save net neutrality," said Evan Greer, deputy director of Fight for the Future, in a statement announcing the protest.
The "Red Alert for Net Neutrality"--an effort organized by Fight for the Future, Demand Progress, and Free Press Action Fund--will start May 9. That's the date when Senate Democrats will file a petition to force a vote on a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution to overturn the FCC's net neutrality repeal. U.S Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), who introduced the resolution, announced the development on Twitter:
The Democrats have the support of Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), leaving them one vote shy of the needed 51 senators for the CRA to pass. "We're in the homestretch in the fight to save net neutrality," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a statement. If the CRA passes the Senate, the House would then have to pass it as well.
The "red alert" action will continue until the Senate votes on the CRA, which could happen mid-May. According to Greer, the "Senate vote will be the most important moment for net neutrality since the FCC repeal. Now is the time to fight."
"This Senate vote will be the most important moment for net neutrality since the FCC repeal."
--Evan Greer, Fight for the FutureMajor websites including Etsy, Tumblr, and Foursquare already committed to taking part. That means they'll feature an unmistakable red banner with the text: "The FCC voted to let ISPs ruin the internet. But there's an imminent vote in the U.S. Senate to overrule them and restore net neutrality. Starting on May 9th until the day of the vote, put your website or social profile on RED ALERT to help sound the alarm and flood lawmakers with calls and emails. Are you in?"
The campaign is also encouraging social media users to help drive phone calls to senators and raise awareness of the issue by changing their profiles and banner images.
"Congress has the chance to rewind a terrible Trump administration policy decision, and one of its least popular, too," said Craig Aaron, president and CEO of Free Press Action Fund, noting that "net neutrality is overwhelmingly supported by people across the political spectrum: Republicans, Democrats, and independents alike."
"The FCC's disastrous vote late last year led to a historic outcry Congress must not ignore. There's only one way to stand up for real net neutrality--and to stand on the right side of history--and that's by voting for the resolution of disapproval to restore these essential safeguards," he continued. "The public will be closely watching who's looking out for them and who's only serving phone and cable lobbyists."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
demand progressfccfight for the futurefree pressnet neutralityopen internetsusan collinstechnologyus senate
With their sights firmly set on restoring the protections the Republican-controlled FCC repealed, advocates for net neutrality on Monday announced a new campaign to get senators' phones ringing off the hook with constituents demanding the lawmakers save the open internet before time runs out.
"Every internet user, every startup, every small business--the internet must come together to sound the alarm and save net neutrality," said Evan Greer, deputy director of Fight for the Future, in a statement announcing the protest.
The "Red Alert for Net Neutrality"--an effort organized by Fight for the Future, Demand Progress, and Free Press Action Fund--will start May 9. That's the date when Senate Democrats will file a petition to force a vote on a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution to overturn the FCC's net neutrality repeal. U.S Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), who introduced the resolution, announced the development on Twitter:
The Democrats have the support of Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), leaving them one vote shy of the needed 51 senators for the CRA to pass. "We're in the homestretch in the fight to save net neutrality," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a statement. If the CRA passes the Senate, the House would then have to pass it as well.
The "red alert" action will continue until the Senate votes on the CRA, which could happen mid-May. According to Greer, the "Senate vote will be the most important moment for net neutrality since the FCC repeal. Now is the time to fight."
"This Senate vote will be the most important moment for net neutrality since the FCC repeal."
--Evan Greer, Fight for the FutureMajor websites including Etsy, Tumblr, and Foursquare already committed to taking part. That means they'll feature an unmistakable red banner with the text: "The FCC voted to let ISPs ruin the internet. But there's an imminent vote in the U.S. Senate to overrule them and restore net neutrality. Starting on May 9th until the day of the vote, put your website or social profile on RED ALERT to help sound the alarm and flood lawmakers with calls and emails. Are you in?"
The campaign is also encouraging social media users to help drive phone calls to senators and raise awareness of the issue by changing their profiles and banner images.
"Congress has the chance to rewind a terrible Trump administration policy decision, and one of its least popular, too," said Craig Aaron, president and CEO of Free Press Action Fund, noting that "net neutrality is overwhelmingly supported by people across the political spectrum: Republicans, Democrats, and independents alike."
"The FCC's disastrous vote late last year led to a historic outcry Congress must not ignore. There's only one way to stand up for real net neutrality--and to stand on the right side of history--and that's by voting for the resolution of disapproval to restore these essential safeguards," he continued. "The public will be closely watching who's looking out for them and who's only serving phone and cable lobbyists."
With their sights firmly set on restoring the protections the Republican-controlled FCC repealed, advocates for net neutrality on Monday announced a new campaign to get senators' phones ringing off the hook with constituents demanding the lawmakers save the open internet before time runs out.
"Every internet user, every startup, every small business--the internet must come together to sound the alarm and save net neutrality," said Evan Greer, deputy director of Fight for the Future, in a statement announcing the protest.
The "Red Alert for Net Neutrality"--an effort organized by Fight for the Future, Demand Progress, and Free Press Action Fund--will start May 9. That's the date when Senate Democrats will file a petition to force a vote on a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution to overturn the FCC's net neutrality repeal. U.S Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), who introduced the resolution, announced the development on Twitter:
The Democrats have the support of Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), leaving them one vote shy of the needed 51 senators for the CRA to pass. "We're in the homestretch in the fight to save net neutrality," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a statement. If the CRA passes the Senate, the House would then have to pass it as well.
The "red alert" action will continue until the Senate votes on the CRA, which could happen mid-May. According to Greer, the "Senate vote will be the most important moment for net neutrality since the FCC repeal. Now is the time to fight."
"This Senate vote will be the most important moment for net neutrality since the FCC repeal."
--Evan Greer, Fight for the FutureMajor websites including Etsy, Tumblr, and Foursquare already committed to taking part. That means they'll feature an unmistakable red banner with the text: "The FCC voted to let ISPs ruin the internet. But there's an imminent vote in the U.S. Senate to overrule them and restore net neutrality. Starting on May 9th until the day of the vote, put your website or social profile on RED ALERT to help sound the alarm and flood lawmakers with calls and emails. Are you in?"
The campaign is also encouraging social media users to help drive phone calls to senators and raise awareness of the issue by changing their profiles and banner images.
"Congress has the chance to rewind a terrible Trump administration policy decision, and one of its least popular, too," said Craig Aaron, president and CEO of Free Press Action Fund, noting that "net neutrality is overwhelmingly supported by people across the political spectrum: Republicans, Democrats, and independents alike."
"The FCC's disastrous vote late last year led to a historic outcry Congress must not ignore. There's only one way to stand up for real net neutrality--and to stand on the right side of history--and that's by voting for the resolution of disapproval to restore these essential safeguards," he continued. "The public will be closely watching who's looking out for them and who's only serving phone and cable lobbyists."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.