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
"We're putting these congress members on notice and sending a clear message: The internet never forgets," declared Evan Greer, deputy director of Fight for the Future. (Photo: Fight for the Future)
With Deadline to Save Net Neutrality Days Away, Here Are the 18 Democrats Still Siding With Telecom Donors Over Open Internet
"It's clear that these congressmembers are deep in the pockets of lobbyists at Verizon, Comcast, and AT&T. These telecoms have given them hundreds of thousands of dollars in 'campaign donations.'"
Dec 04, 2018
With just days to go before the Dec. 10 deadline to restore net neutrality protections, Fight for the Future on Wednesday launched a new website to pressure the 18 House Democrats who have yet to sign on to the congressional resolution that would overturn FCC chair Ajit Pai's deeply unpopular assault on the open internet.
"These Democrats have no excuse: their constituents want them to support real net neutrality and the entire rest of their party has already done so."
--Evan Greer, Fight for the FutureIn addition to highlighting the names of the Democratic lawmakers who have yet to take a stand for net neutrality by signing on to the House Congressional Review Act (CRA) measure, the website--titled DemsAgainstThe.Net--also shows the amount of campaign cash each of the holdouts has received from the telecom industry.
For example, according to Fight for the Future, Rep. G.K. Butterfield (D-N.C.) is "selling out for $408,000."
"It's hard to think of a more nauseatingly clear example of the corrupting influence of telecom money in our democracy," Evan Greer, deputy director of Fight for the Future, said in a statement, urging people to contact their representatives. "These Democrats have no excuse: their constituents want them to support real net neutrality and the entire rest of their party has already done so. Do they really want to be seen as more beholden to corporate interests than the three Republican senators who voted for the CRA?"
The 18 House Democrats who still haven't signed on to the Congressional Review Act (CRA) measure to restore net neutrality protections are: Reps. Brandon Boyle (Pa.), Robert Brady (Pa.), G.K. Butterfield (N.C.), Matt Cartwright (Pa.), Jim Costa (Calif.), Henry Cueller (Texas), Dwight Evans (Pa.), Vicente Gonzalez (Texas), Josh Gottheimer (N.J.), Gene Green (Texas), Tom O'Halleran (Ariz.), Brad Schneider (Ill.), David Scott (Ga.), Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.), Filemon Vela (Texas), Pete Visclosky (Ind.), Frederica Wilson (Fla.), and Mary Gay Scanlon (Pa.).
\u201cMeet the 18 @HouseDemocrats who are betraying the Internet by not supporting #NetNeutrality.\n\nhttps://t.co/ePPtEHiwnj\u201d— @team@fightforthefuture.org on Mastodon (@@team@fightforthefuture.org on Mastodon) 1544031447
"We're putting these congressmembers on notice and sending a clear message: The internet never forgets," Greer continued. "It's clear that these congressmembers are deep in the pockets of lobbyists at big [internet service providers] like Verizon, Comcast, and AT&T. These telecoms have given them hundreds of thousands of dollars in 'campaign donations.' If they want to sell out their constituents' right to internet freedom we will hold them accountable."
Five days away from the deadline to restore the net neutrality protections that were repealed last year, the House CRA still needs 41 more signatures to pass, meaning it will need the backing of all 18 Democratic holdouts plus more than 20 Republican representatives.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. 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. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
ajit paicomcastcorporate powerdemocratic partyfccfight for the futurekyrsten sinemanet neutralityopen internettechnologyus houseverizon
With just days to go before the Dec. 10 deadline to restore net neutrality protections, Fight for the Future on Wednesday launched a new website to pressure the 18 House Democrats who have yet to sign on to the congressional resolution that would overturn FCC chair Ajit Pai's deeply unpopular assault on the open internet.
"These Democrats have no excuse: their constituents want them to support real net neutrality and the entire rest of their party has already done so."
--Evan Greer, Fight for the FutureIn addition to highlighting the names of the Democratic lawmakers who have yet to take a stand for net neutrality by signing on to the House Congressional Review Act (CRA) measure, the website--titled DemsAgainstThe.Net--also shows the amount of campaign cash each of the holdouts has received from the telecom industry.
For example, according to Fight for the Future, Rep. G.K. Butterfield (D-N.C.) is "selling out for $408,000."
"It's hard to think of a more nauseatingly clear example of the corrupting influence of telecom money in our democracy," Evan Greer, deputy director of Fight for the Future, said in a statement, urging people to contact their representatives. "These Democrats have no excuse: their constituents want them to support real net neutrality and the entire rest of their party has already done so. Do they really want to be seen as more beholden to corporate interests than the three Republican senators who voted for the CRA?"
The 18 House Democrats who still haven't signed on to the Congressional Review Act (CRA) measure to restore net neutrality protections are: Reps. Brandon Boyle (Pa.), Robert Brady (Pa.), G.K. Butterfield (N.C.), Matt Cartwright (Pa.), Jim Costa (Calif.), Henry Cueller (Texas), Dwight Evans (Pa.), Vicente Gonzalez (Texas), Josh Gottheimer (N.J.), Gene Green (Texas), Tom O'Halleran (Ariz.), Brad Schneider (Ill.), David Scott (Ga.), Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.), Filemon Vela (Texas), Pete Visclosky (Ind.), Frederica Wilson (Fla.), and Mary Gay Scanlon (Pa.).
\u201cMeet the 18 @HouseDemocrats who are betraying the Internet by not supporting #NetNeutrality.\n\nhttps://t.co/ePPtEHiwnj\u201d— @team@fightforthefuture.org on Mastodon (@@team@fightforthefuture.org on Mastodon) 1544031447
"We're putting these congressmembers on notice and sending a clear message: The internet never forgets," Greer continued. "It's clear that these congressmembers are deep in the pockets of lobbyists at big [internet service providers] like Verizon, Comcast, and AT&T. These telecoms have given them hundreds of thousands of dollars in 'campaign donations.' If they want to sell out their constituents' right to internet freedom we will hold them accountable."
Five days away from the deadline to restore the net neutrality protections that were repealed last year, the House CRA still needs 41 more signatures to pass, meaning it will need the backing of all 18 Democratic holdouts plus more than 20 Republican representatives.
With just days to go before the Dec. 10 deadline to restore net neutrality protections, Fight for the Future on Wednesday launched a new website to pressure the 18 House Democrats who have yet to sign on to the congressional resolution that would overturn FCC chair Ajit Pai's deeply unpopular assault on the open internet.
"These Democrats have no excuse: their constituents want them to support real net neutrality and the entire rest of their party has already done so."
--Evan Greer, Fight for the FutureIn addition to highlighting the names of the Democratic lawmakers who have yet to take a stand for net neutrality by signing on to the House Congressional Review Act (CRA) measure, the website--titled DemsAgainstThe.Net--also shows the amount of campaign cash each of the holdouts has received from the telecom industry.
For example, according to Fight for the Future, Rep. G.K. Butterfield (D-N.C.) is "selling out for $408,000."
"It's hard to think of a more nauseatingly clear example of the corrupting influence of telecom money in our democracy," Evan Greer, deputy director of Fight for the Future, said in a statement, urging people to contact their representatives. "These Democrats have no excuse: their constituents want them to support real net neutrality and the entire rest of their party has already done so. Do they really want to be seen as more beholden to corporate interests than the three Republican senators who voted for the CRA?"
The 18 House Democrats who still haven't signed on to the Congressional Review Act (CRA) measure to restore net neutrality protections are: Reps. Brandon Boyle (Pa.), Robert Brady (Pa.), G.K. Butterfield (N.C.), Matt Cartwright (Pa.), Jim Costa (Calif.), Henry Cueller (Texas), Dwight Evans (Pa.), Vicente Gonzalez (Texas), Josh Gottheimer (N.J.), Gene Green (Texas), Tom O'Halleran (Ariz.), Brad Schneider (Ill.), David Scott (Ga.), Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.), Filemon Vela (Texas), Pete Visclosky (Ind.), Frederica Wilson (Fla.), and Mary Gay Scanlon (Pa.).
\u201cMeet the 18 @HouseDemocrats who are betraying the Internet by not supporting #NetNeutrality.\n\nhttps://t.co/ePPtEHiwnj\u201d— @team@fightforthefuture.org on Mastodon (@@team@fightforthefuture.org on Mastodon) 1544031447
"We're putting these congressmembers on notice and sending a clear message: The internet never forgets," Greer continued. "It's clear that these congressmembers are deep in the pockets of lobbyists at big [internet service providers] like Verizon, Comcast, and AT&T. These telecoms have given them hundreds of thousands of dollars in 'campaign donations.' If they want to sell out their constituents' right to internet freedom we will hold them accountable."
Five days away from the deadline to restore the net neutrality protections that were repealed last year, the House CRA still needs 41 more signatures to pass, meaning it will need the backing of all 18 Democratic holdouts plus more than 20 Republican representatives.
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.