Hey John,

BIG NEWS: The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted this week to launch a rule-making process as the first step to restore net neutrality. The rule now advances to an open comment period where individuals like you can submit your thoughts to the FCC.

Along with our friends at Demand Progress, we’re leading a coalition of organizations helping people submit comments to the FCC and Congress. We need YOU to join us. At Battle for the Net, you can submit a comment, learn more about the history behind net neutrality, and find other ways to get involved.

Take Action

The overwhelming majority of Americans across the political spectrum support net neutrality and Title II protections¹. Net neutrality is the critical policy that puts internet providers in check and ensures they can’t use their gatekeeping power to block or slow down websites, or charge unfair fees for certain apps. When it was repealed in 2017 by Trump FCC chair Ajit Pai there was major backlash - and we’ve finally laid the groundwork to win it back.

Now that we’ve come this far, Big Telecom is really going to throw down². They've been arguing that we don't actually need net neutrality - that we've been fine the past few years without it. But this is just wrong: without net neutrality, Verizon throttled firefighter's internet during a California wildfire³; during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, people without reliable internet service were forced to sit in parking lots and outside fast food restaurants so they could connect to work and so their kids could attend online classes⁴; and small businesses⁵, Planned Parenthood⁶, teachers⁷, first responders⁸, and many others all spoke out about how critical net neutrality is.

The bad news is that the telecom industry is loaded, and their paid PR consultants and lobbyists are working overtime to derail anything that could lead to more oversight for them and more protections for consumers⁹. This is why it’s so important for grassroots movements and individuals like YOU to voice your support of net neutrality.

Battle for the Net is the long-running hub for action on net neutrality, and is responsible for sending millions of comments to the FCC and messages and calls to lawmakers. Will you help ensure that access to critical broadband services is not restricted by companies, but is freely accessible and open for all?

Submit a comment

We know this isn’t going to be simple, but the good news is we’ve done this before. Together, we know that we can achieve victory and put the internet back in the hands of the people.

Sincerely,

Hally at ❤️ Fight

1. University of Maryland, School of Public Policy: https://publicconsultation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/NetNeutrality_Quaire_0322.pdf

2. Free Press: https://www.freepress.net/blog/net-neutrality-violations-brief-history

3. Ars Technica: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2018/08/verizon-throttled-fire-departments-unlimited-data-during-calif-wildfire/

4. Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/when-back-to-school-means-a-parking-lot-and-the-hunt-for-a-wifi-signal/2020/08/27/0f785d5a-e873-11ea-970a-64c73a1c2392_story.html

5, Small Business Majority: https://smallbusinessmajority.org/our-research/technology/small-businesses-oppose-repeal-net-neutrality

6. Planned Parenthood: https://www.plannedparenthood.org/about-us/newsroom/press-releases/planned-parenthood-opposes-fcc-efforts-to-repeal-net-neutrality-rules

7. NPR: https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2017/12/13/570262813/how-a-deregulated-internet-could-hurt-america-s-classrooms

8: First Responders for Net Neutrality: https://www.firstrespondersfornetneutrality.com