John,

Remember when shady astroturf groups with links to the telecom industry got caught blatantly flooding the FCC with fraudulent comments against net neutrality? At the time, notorious chairman Ajit Pai refused to comply with investigations and basically tried to cover it all up.

But the New York Times just won a major lawsuit that will force the FCC to hand over crucial information that could help expose who did this, and prove once and for all that the agency’s net neutrality proceeding was basically bogus.¹

This is a major blow to Ajit Pai, and the timing couldn’t be better. Another court decision has forced the FCC to open a new comment proceeding. We need to spring into action and use this momentum to keep pushing to win back net neutrality—something that couldn’t be more necessary right now, as people are staying home and are dependent on the Internet for every facet of our lives. Can you chip in right now to keep the pressure up on Pai and keep fighting for net neutrality?

News of Pai’s loss comes right after he refused to grant additional time for firefighters to submit public comments on how repealing net neutrality put public safety in danger.² These are the same firefighters who had their Internet connection throttled by Verizon while battling wildfires, and know first-hand that net neutrality is a critical piece of ensuring public safety.

It’s clear that Pai doesn’t care about emergency workers, and he doesn’t care about people who are struggling right now because they don’t have affordable access to the Internet.

But we care, and we aren’t giving up. Right now we’re working to get thousands of comments submitted calling out the need for net neutrality to protect public safety, and we’re pushing Congress to ensure everyone has access to affordable Internet throughout the duration of this health crisis.

We need your support to keep up this fight. If you’re able, please make a donation of any amount to help win a safe and open Internet for everyone.

When Pai killed net neutrality, he didn’t just rip up the basic rules that prevent companies like Comcast, Verizon, and AT&T from slowing down websites or censoring content. He completely eviscerated the FCC’s ability to provide any meaningful oversight of telecom giants or prevent them from engaging in unreasonable or dangerous practices.

And right now, as people are at home and depending on the Internet to survive, the FCC can’t do anything to make sure everyone can stay connected. This pandemic and what happened to the firefighters who Ajit Pai just ignored are perfect examples—repealing these protections put people’s lives in danger.

Net neutrality and Internet freedom are more important than ever before. If you agree with this, and you can, please donate today.

Thank you, and I hope you’re doing well.

Caitlin at Fight for the Future

Footnotes:

1. Ars Technica: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2020/05/fcc-broke-public-records-law-by-refusing-nyt-document-request-judge-rules/

2. Ars Technica: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2020/04/fcc-blasted-for-shameful-ruling-against-cities-and-fire-department/

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