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"We've won this same fight before." (Photo: Free Press/flickr/cc)
Join the Day of Action to Save Net Neutrality
"There's no way to resist this administration or engage in any other kind of activism online without Net Neutrality"
Jun 09, 2017
The Trump FCC is doing everything it can to destroy the open Internet--and on July 12, the Internet is fighting back.
"The loss of the open-Internet rules will kill free speech online, and will disproportionately harm the same communities--people of color, immigrants, Muslims, the LGBTQ community--the Trump team has targeted with one hateful action after the other."
On that day, companies like Amazon, Etsy, Kickstarter, Mozilla and reddit--along with individuals and groups like Free Press Action Fund, the ACLU, the American Library Association, Demand Progress and Fight for the Future--will take part in a national day of action online.
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai wants to dismantle Title II--the legal framework that's essential to preserving Net Neutrality--and repeal the rules themselves. That means companies like AT&T, Comcast and Verizon would be able to throttle or outright block content and charge content creators for speedier access.
Pai's a former Verizon lawyer who also once worked for Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and he's been huddling with industry lobbyists and courting the right wing in his quest to demolish the Internet's level playing field. While he claims to support the principles of Net Neutrality, that's just another alternative fact from an administration rife with them.
We've won this same fight before: Back in May 2014, after then-FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler released a proposal that would have allowed broadband providers to discriminate online, advocacy groups organized the Internet Slowdown, a day when dozens of major tech companies and thousands of organizations displayed a slow-loading icon on their sites to give people a taste of what the Internet could look like without Net Neutrality.
That action--along with many other protests and the pro-Net Neutrality comments of 4 million people--pushed Wheeler to abandon his plan and enact strong open-internet protections. These are the same protections that are in danger right now.
There's no way to resist this administration or engage in any other kind of activism online without Net Neutrality. The loss of the open-Internet rules will kill free speech online, and will disproportionately harm the same communities--people of color, immigrants, Muslims, the LGBTQ community--the Trump team has targeted with one hateful action after the other.
We need to do everything we can to fight back. Sign up today to participate in the July 12 day of action.
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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 |
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Amy Kroin
Amy Kroin is the editor at Free Press and Free Press Action. She is co-author, with Mike Rispoli and Kevin Davis, of the case study New Jersey's Civic Information Bill: The Story of the Campaign to Transform Local Media.
The Trump FCC is doing everything it can to destroy the open Internet--and on July 12, the Internet is fighting back.
"The loss of the open-Internet rules will kill free speech online, and will disproportionately harm the same communities--people of color, immigrants, Muslims, the LGBTQ community--the Trump team has targeted with one hateful action after the other."
On that day, companies like Amazon, Etsy, Kickstarter, Mozilla and reddit--along with individuals and groups like Free Press Action Fund, the ACLU, the American Library Association, Demand Progress and Fight for the Future--will take part in a national day of action online.
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai wants to dismantle Title II--the legal framework that's essential to preserving Net Neutrality--and repeal the rules themselves. That means companies like AT&T, Comcast and Verizon would be able to throttle or outright block content and charge content creators for speedier access.
Pai's a former Verizon lawyer who also once worked for Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and he's been huddling with industry lobbyists and courting the right wing in his quest to demolish the Internet's level playing field. While he claims to support the principles of Net Neutrality, that's just another alternative fact from an administration rife with them.
We've won this same fight before: Back in May 2014, after then-FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler released a proposal that would have allowed broadband providers to discriminate online, advocacy groups organized the Internet Slowdown, a day when dozens of major tech companies and thousands of organizations displayed a slow-loading icon on their sites to give people a taste of what the Internet could look like without Net Neutrality.
That action--along with many other protests and the pro-Net Neutrality comments of 4 million people--pushed Wheeler to abandon his plan and enact strong open-internet protections. These are the same protections that are in danger right now.
There's no way to resist this administration or engage in any other kind of activism online without Net Neutrality. The loss of the open-Internet rules will kill free speech online, and will disproportionately harm the same communities--people of color, immigrants, Muslims, the LGBTQ community--the Trump team has targeted with one hateful action after the other.
We need to do everything we can to fight back. Sign up today to participate in the July 12 day of action.
Amy Kroin
Amy Kroin is the editor at Free Press and Free Press Action. She is co-author, with Mike Rispoli and Kevin Davis, of the case study New Jersey's Civic Information Bill: The Story of the Campaign to Transform Local Media.
The Trump FCC is doing everything it can to destroy the open Internet--and on July 12, the Internet is fighting back.
"The loss of the open-Internet rules will kill free speech online, and will disproportionately harm the same communities--people of color, immigrants, Muslims, the LGBTQ community--the Trump team has targeted with one hateful action after the other."
On that day, companies like Amazon, Etsy, Kickstarter, Mozilla and reddit--along with individuals and groups like Free Press Action Fund, the ACLU, the American Library Association, Demand Progress and Fight for the Future--will take part in a national day of action online.
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai wants to dismantle Title II--the legal framework that's essential to preserving Net Neutrality--and repeal the rules themselves. That means companies like AT&T, Comcast and Verizon would be able to throttle or outright block content and charge content creators for speedier access.
Pai's a former Verizon lawyer who also once worked for Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and he's been huddling with industry lobbyists and courting the right wing in his quest to demolish the Internet's level playing field. While he claims to support the principles of Net Neutrality, that's just another alternative fact from an administration rife with them.
We've won this same fight before: Back in May 2014, after then-FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler released a proposal that would have allowed broadband providers to discriminate online, advocacy groups organized the Internet Slowdown, a day when dozens of major tech companies and thousands of organizations displayed a slow-loading icon on their sites to give people a taste of what the Internet could look like without Net Neutrality.
That action--along with many other protests and the pro-Net Neutrality comments of 4 million people--pushed Wheeler to abandon his plan and enact strong open-internet protections. These are the same protections that are in danger right now.
There's no way to resist this administration or engage in any other kind of activism online without Net Neutrality. The loss of the open-Internet rules will kill free speech online, and will disproportionately harm the same communities--people of color, immigrants, Muslims, the LGBTQ community--the Trump team has targeted with one hateful action after the other.
We need to do everything we can to fight back. Sign up today to participate in the July 12 day of action.
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