Save Net Neutrality
The FCC Chairman (former Verizon lawyer and Trump appointee) is trying to sell off OUR Internet to telecom giants.
If you say you love innovation and the chance for small businesses and startups to succeed, then it’s time to speak up and defend all of us. Stop Ajit Pai from repealing Net Neutrality protections.
If you think this is too boring or complicated, let me make this super simple for you.
This repeal, plainly put, will change the Internet forever.
Never mind your cable bill going up, or some telecom giant choosing what you can and can’t do. Or breaking the Internet up into “bundles” like the cable company does. Yes, you will be affected personally. Because cable companies NEVER DO THE RIGHT THING. Give them more room to needle you and screw you over, and they will.
But broaden the scope for a second, and things get really scary. Think of all those scrappy startups with a great idea. It will now be easier for big companies to squelch their efforts to unseat incumbent power. No more innovation, no more rags-to-riches startup stories that define the promise of America.
What You Can Do
There are countless articles that go into the details of Net Neutrality, and here’s a great round-up from this morning if it helps you be more informed: The FCC and Net Neutrality: Once Again, We Must Raise Our Voices
But also, it’s easy to help. Just like we always do. We use the power of the Internet to overwhelm them.
1. Call your representative
Yes, today. I know you’re busy. But you use the Web, yes? Then this assault on Net Neutrality will affect YOU directly.
This link connects you to your representative, with a simple script. It couldn’t be easier. Please urge your friends, family, and colleagues to call as well.
2. Contact FCC Chairman Ajit Pai
He’s a former Verizon lawyer, and a Trump appointee. Need I say more?
Phone: (202) 418–1000. Call him directly. I left a “nice” voice mail last week.
Petition: Mozilla has a drop dead simple petition that is gaining strength.
Email: Ajit.Pai@fcc.gov
Send Ajit Pai a quick email. Here’s what I sent him yesterday — please feel free to use or adapt this as your own.
Subj: Please Do Not Repeal Net Neutrality
Chairman Pai,
Please rescind your proposal to repeal the Net Neutrality regulations that are in place. Cutting right to the point, my reasons are selfish — it would hurt small businesses like mine. It would also hurt the clients I serve — other small businesses. Together, we produce great products and services, create employment opportunities, and increase the overall tax base. In other words, WE BRING PROSPERITY.
I hear a lot of Republican dogma about mom-and-pops and the American Way. The truth is that the economy is at its best when small businesses succeed. And your shortest path to that outcome is TO DO NOTHING. You are in an enviable place, sir. Inaction = widespread praise. I wish that MY job was that simple.
Instead, you bring a proposal that, if adopted, assures your legacy as The Man Who Ruined the Internet. No more innovation, no more rags-to-riches startup stories. Just the tight clench of the telecom industry, invading our privacy and directing our preferences. The next Jobs & Woz story will not be here in America, but in China instead.
Please do not compromise our ideals. Please do not sell off our future. Please don’t extinguish the promise of the Internet. Quoting Lin Manuel Miranda, “History has its eyes on you.” Let it NOT say, “The Internet was the greatest invention humankind conceived. And Ajit Pai sold it out to his former bosses.”
Your move, sir. Please do nothing. Take your bow. Enjoy the applause. It’s so easy.
Sincerely,
Michael Boezi, small business owner
UPDATED 11/27: Of the 5 commissioners on the FCC panel deciding the fate of the Internet, we need to flip one of these three:
- Michael O’Rielly — Mike.O’Rielly@fcc.gov
- Brendan Carr — Brendan.Carr@fcc.gov
- Ajit Pai — Ajit.Pai@fcc.gov
EMAIL THEM! Use my template and EMAIL THEM!
The other two are:
- Jessica Rosenworcel — we love her for this op-ed: I’m on the FCC. Please stop us from killing net neutrality.
- Mignon Clyburn — we love her too, and she will also be voting NO.
Go ahead and email them as well, if you want to give them props: Jessica.Rosenworcel@fcc.gov and Mignon.Clyburn@fcc.gov
3. Learn more
Here are a few links to make it easy for you:
- F.C.C. Plans Net Neutrality Repeal in a Victory for Telecoms
- Why the Internet Should be a Public Utility by umair haque
- Net Neutrality: Public Knowledge
- Net Neutrality II: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)
WE WILL NOT HAVE OUR INTERNET TAKEN FROM US.
When you’re done with that, on to defending non-billionaires from this Republican Tax Scam, which is nothing more than “Welfare for the Wealthy.” Here’s my targeted action plan:
