Dear John,
Two years ago this Saturday, the Trump Administration proposed a rule that would break the internet as we know it. It was a giveaway and a scam, perpetrated by our own government to benefit of some of the biggest companies in the world.
Here’s what happened.
As long as you or I have used the internet, we’ve operated under a basic rule: you pay Verizon or Charter or whoever your internet company is a fixed fee per month, and you can access the whole internet. This rule is called net neutrality.
They can’t upcharge you to visit more popular sites, block sites they don’t agree with, or cut backroom deals with rich websites to slow you down when you visit their competitors. Just imagine if Fox News could pay to slow down CNN.com. Or, if Verizon could block emails they don’t like--like this one.
But there was money to be made by changing those rules--money to be made by big telecommunications companies, in particular, who wanted to upcharge you, to segment the internet into little pieces, and make you pay more every step of the way. It’s a fancy way to make you pay more for what you’re getting now.
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So these companies lobbied the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to get rid of a rule that protected net neutrality. And the Trump FCC went for it bigtime, repealing net neutrality in a historic giveaway.
Suffice it to say, this was a terrible idea. Nearly everyone--Democrats, Republicans, Independents--opposed putting a profit motive in between people and the freedom to access information. The effects would be devastating, not just for users like you or me, but for education, for small businesses looking to grow, even big businesses--basically everyone who isn’t a giant telecom company.
When it happened, dozens of states teamed up and went to court to challenge the federal government--to protect the rules we’ve always operated under. But the Montana Attorney General did nothing.
The internet is the greatest source of where people get their news and information. We get news directly from a news site or through social media. With net neutrality gone, telecom companies could block you from viewing certain news content. They could make sure you couldn’t view news or information they don’t agree with.
That is exactly what would happen if net neutrality was no longer in place.
It was our Attorney General’s job to stand up for Montanans. He sat this fight out.
Without the Attorney General’s help, I worked with Governor Bullock to devise a new way to protect net neutrality. And we won.
Part 2 will highlight what we did in Montana to protect net neutrality and led a nationwide effort to protect the internet as we know it.
-Raph Graybill
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PS: I’m running for Attorney General because we need a real advocate equipped to stand up for Montanans, not another career politician. If you agree that it’s time for an Attorney General who works for us, would you consider donating to our campaign?
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Want to follow along with the campaign?
Follow me on Facebook for frequent updates, photos from the road, and more: www.facebook.com/RaphforAG
You can also read more writings on my Medium page: https://medium.com/@raphgraybill
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