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Proponents of net neutrality protest against Federal Communication Commission Chairman Ajit Pai outside the American Enterprise Institute before his arrival May 5, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
On Wednesday, July 12, Everyone Can Stand Up for Net Neutrality
Imagine a world without internet freedom. This week, a major protest on the web will show what it would be like.
Jul 11, 2017
Just over two years after the Federal Communications Commission, under President Obama, approved rules protecting a free and open internet accessible to all, net neutrality is once again under fire. And once again, the public is being called upon to stand up and fight for freedom of speech.
Wednesday, July 12, is an internet-wide day of action to save net neutrality -- and you can get involved.
Right now, fierce attacks on internet freedom are coming from the Trump White House, the Republican Congress, an FCC that once again has turned pro-big business and the giant telco companies like Comcast and Verizon that want to turn over control of cyberspace to the richest and most powerful.
But in the recent past, mass protests in support of net neutrality rules have proven to be a potent weapon, and this time support for the July 12 Day of Action is widespread -- not only from the grass roots but also from a vast array of public interest organizations and such major internet players as Facebook, Google, Twitter, Netflix, Amazon, Mozilla, Vimeo and Reddit -- more than 50,000 people, groups and sites in all.
According to organizers, which include the Free Press Action Fund, Fight for the Future and Demand Progress, "Participants will display prominent messages on their homepages on July 12 or encourage users to take action in other ways, using push notifications, videos, social media and emails."
Anyone can add alerts to their social media that will show the world what the web would look like without net neutrality. None of them actually will block, slow down or paywall your site. But, organizers note, "They will let your users submit a comment to the FCC and Congress without having to leave your platform."
For more information, go to www.BattleForTheNet.com.
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 |
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Michael Winship
Michael Winship is the Schumann Senior Writing Fellow at the progressive news outlet Common Dreams, where he writes and edits political analysis and commentary. He is a Writers Guild East council member and its immediate past president and a veteran television writer and producer who has created programming for America's major PBS stations, CBS, the Discovery and Learning Channels, A&E, Turner Broadcasting, the Disney Channel, Lifetime, Sesame Workshop (formerly the Children's Television Workshop) and National Geographic, among others. In 2008, he joined his longtime friend and colleague Bill Moyers at Bill Moyers Journal on PBS and their writing collaboration has been close ever since. They share an Emmy and three Writers Guild Awards for writing excellence. Winship's television work also has been honored by the Christopher, Western Heritage, Genesis and CableACE Awards.
ajit paicomcastfccfight for the futuremedianet neutralityopen internetpeople powertechnologytrumpismverizon
Just over two years after the Federal Communications Commission, under President Obama, approved rules protecting a free and open internet accessible to all, net neutrality is once again under fire. And once again, the public is being called upon to stand up and fight for freedom of speech.
Wednesday, July 12, is an internet-wide day of action to save net neutrality -- and you can get involved.
Right now, fierce attacks on internet freedom are coming from the Trump White House, the Republican Congress, an FCC that once again has turned pro-big business and the giant telco companies like Comcast and Verizon that want to turn over control of cyberspace to the richest and most powerful.
But in the recent past, mass protests in support of net neutrality rules have proven to be a potent weapon, and this time support for the July 12 Day of Action is widespread -- not only from the grass roots but also from a vast array of public interest organizations and such major internet players as Facebook, Google, Twitter, Netflix, Amazon, Mozilla, Vimeo and Reddit -- more than 50,000 people, groups and sites in all.
According to organizers, which include the Free Press Action Fund, Fight for the Future and Demand Progress, "Participants will display prominent messages on their homepages on July 12 or encourage users to take action in other ways, using push notifications, videos, social media and emails."
Anyone can add alerts to their social media that will show the world what the web would look like without net neutrality. None of them actually will block, slow down or paywall your site. But, organizers note, "They will let your users submit a comment to the FCC and Congress without having to leave your platform."
For more information, go to www.BattleForTheNet.com.
Michael Winship
Michael Winship is the Schumann Senior Writing Fellow at the progressive news outlet Common Dreams, where he writes and edits political analysis and commentary. He is a Writers Guild East council member and its immediate past president and a veteran television writer and producer who has created programming for America's major PBS stations, CBS, the Discovery and Learning Channels, A&E, Turner Broadcasting, the Disney Channel, Lifetime, Sesame Workshop (formerly the Children's Television Workshop) and National Geographic, among others. In 2008, he joined his longtime friend and colleague Bill Moyers at Bill Moyers Journal on PBS and their writing collaboration has been close ever since. They share an Emmy and three Writers Guild Awards for writing excellence. Winship's television work also has been honored by the Christopher, Western Heritage, Genesis and CableACE Awards.
Just over two years after the Federal Communications Commission, under President Obama, approved rules protecting a free and open internet accessible to all, net neutrality is once again under fire. And once again, the public is being called upon to stand up and fight for freedom of speech.
Wednesday, July 12, is an internet-wide day of action to save net neutrality -- and you can get involved.
Right now, fierce attacks on internet freedom are coming from the Trump White House, the Republican Congress, an FCC that once again has turned pro-big business and the giant telco companies like Comcast and Verizon that want to turn over control of cyberspace to the richest and most powerful.
But in the recent past, mass protests in support of net neutrality rules have proven to be a potent weapon, and this time support for the July 12 Day of Action is widespread -- not only from the grass roots but also from a vast array of public interest organizations and such major internet players as Facebook, Google, Twitter, Netflix, Amazon, Mozilla, Vimeo and Reddit -- more than 50,000 people, groups and sites in all.
According to organizers, which include the Free Press Action Fund, Fight for the Future and Demand Progress, "Participants will display prominent messages on their homepages on July 12 or encourage users to take action in other ways, using push notifications, videos, social media and emails."
Anyone can add alerts to their social media that will show the world what the web would look like without net neutrality. None of them actually will block, slow down or paywall your site. But, organizers note, "They will let your users submit a comment to the FCC and Congress without having to leave your platform."
For more information, go to www.BattleForTheNet.com.
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