Perhaps you've heard the news by now—President Obama just made a game-changing announcement that could save the Internet.1
Game. On.
One week after a pretty rough election, President Obama isn't backing down. He is making good on his campaign promise to protect the freedom and opportunity that the Internet provides—by calling on the Federal Communications Commission to treat the Web as a public utility, like phones or water. This is huge momentum, and it comes thanks to the steady activism of MoveOn members like you and our allies across the movement.
But now it looks as though FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler wants to delay acting on President Obama's plan—perhaps because he's under tremendous pressure from Comcast, Verizon, and AT&T.2The best way to thank President Obama for making good on his promise to save the Internet is to help him get the job done.
We can do that by calling on Chairman Wheeler to act right away on the president's sound plan. Time is of the essence—there's no excuse for the FCC to delay action past this year.
Our friends at Demand Progress and Fight for the Future have built an awesome tool that floods every FCC phone line with calls all day long.
Can you make a quick call to the FCC right now to tell Chairman Wheeler that you demand action for Net Neutrality without delay?
In the clearest possible terms, President Obama called on the FCC to preserve the open Internet—to stop Verizon, Comcast, and other Internet service providers from slowing down access to websites (like MoveOn.org, or your friend's blog) that can't afford the fees they'd charge for "priority" lanes. The FCC can do this by reclassifying broadband Internet as a telecommunications service—which it has the authority to do under Title II of the Telecommunications Act.
It comes as no surprise that Verizon, Comcast, and Republicans in Congress (financed heavily by the telecommunications lobby) were quick to attack President Obama's wildly, broadly popular call for rules that would protect an open Internet.
Senator Ted Cruz called it "Obamacare for the Internet." Earth to Ted Cruz! First, that's a bogus comparison. Second, millions of people love their Obamacare. And 99% of the record-breaking nearly 4 million comments the FCC received on Net Neutrality call for the kinds of protections President Obama is advocating.3
Ultimately, Chairman Wheeler is the decision-maker; he must propose a plan for the five FCC commissioners to vote on. The FCC has a meeting coming up on December 11, and Chairman Wheeler has the power to act on President Obama's plan then. We've got to let everyone at the FCC know that we won't accept delays when it comes to protecting the open Internet.
MoveOn members have been calling their members of Congress this week to shore up support for the president's plan. Now, we need up the pressure on Chairman Wheeler.
It's become clear that this fight has every Internet user pitted against Comcast, Verizon, AT&T, and a handful of Republicans in Washington.
We can win. Months ago, the FCC proposed a plan that ignored this obvious, popular solution. MoveOn members joined allies and called, commented, rallied, and shared. Our activism changed the playing field entirely—and now Internet freedom is in sight.
Game on!
Thanks for all you do.
–Victoria, Kristin, Manny, Ben W., and the rest of the team
P.S. President Obama knew he could come out strong on Net Neutrality because millions of Americans have spoken out—with millions of comments, tens of thousands of phone calls, and hundreds of protests in the streets, including in more than 30 cities last Thursday. Our friends at Fight for the Future are organizing another wave of visually stunning evening protests tonight. Click here to RSVP to attend a rally near you tonight, or to sign up to host your own!
Sources:
1. "Net Neutrality: President Obama's Plan for a Free and Open Internet," The White House, accessed November 12, 2014
http://www.whitehouse.gov/net-neutrality
2. "FCC 'to delay' US vote on net neutrality," BBC, November 12, 2014
http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-30019413
3. "3.7 Million Comments Later, Here's Where Net Neutrality Stands," NPR, September 17, 2014 http://www.moveon.org/r/?r=301682&id=104586-10220574-1tK7gVx&t=1
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