Hi, It’s been nearly two years since President Joe Biden moved to reinstate the rules for a free and open net that were tossed by Trump and his Federal Communications Commission chair, Ajit Pai.1 But net neutrality still hasn’t been restored, and time is running out.2 For 16 months, Comcast, Fox News, and their cronies attacked Gigi Sohn, a public interest advocate named to serve as the critical fifth member on the FCC. Now with Sohn’s nomination withdrawn, another strong, pro-net neutrality commissioner must be named and confirmed to break the 2-2 deadlock that’s been frozen in place the worst policies from the Trump-Pai era. But if they don’t act fast, we could run out of time before the end of President Biden’s term to get strong net neutrality protections fully restored. We’ve already mobilized hundreds of thousands of people to contact the White House and the U.S. Senate. But the clock is ticking for the White House to name a new nominee who will champion net neutrality and privacy.
Gigi Sohn was a supremely qualified nominee who would have supported net neutrality and defended the interests of everyday Americans over Big Cable. That’s exactly why she was attacked. Fox News and The Wall Street Journal's editorial board repeatedly distorted her record.3 Fake grassroots groups poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into ads, lying about her positions.4 It worked. Key Democrats like Sen. Joe Manchin abandoned Sohn and sided with the cable companies, and she withdrew her nomination last month.5 Now Comcast and its cronies can either run out the clock or convince the White House to appoint a commissioner who might not be willing to stand up to Big Cable.6 We can’t let either of those things happen. It’s on us to mobilize enough grassroots support to make sure the next appointee to the FCC is just as strong on net neutrality — and isn’t left twisting in the wind. Sources: PAID FOR BY DEMAND PROGRESS (DemandProgress.org) and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. Contributions are not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes. Join our online community on Facebook or Twitter. You can unsubscribe from this list at any time. |