Sign the Petition
Feb. 27 (DP.net).– Early last year we sound a warning bell about the real danger of losing WEB neutrality as a result of the huge blow dealt by the FCC when it passed new rules 
against the open Internet Americans have enjoyed since its inception. For this purpose we published in January 2018 a campaign to collect signatures sponsored by Consumer Union that was quite successful but it was not enough to stop that nonsense (read it HERE).
However, a year after net neutrality was repealed, Americans finally have some momentum in the fight to keep the Internet free.
It is critical that all Americans continue to call for major protections that will make sure all content is treated equally and keep the Internet fast, FREE and fair for everyone. Small businesses, consumers and non-profits could still suffer massive impacts resulting from such unfair rules.
Here’s the need-to-know cheat sheet on what’s happened since the landmark changes in December 2017:
- 22 states, net neutrality advocates, tech companies like Mozilla and others still have open lawsuits against the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and arguments were heard in early February. A verdict is expected this summer and some expect the suit to end up in the Supreme Court.
- There have been some serious impacts of the repeal, including an instance where data throttling lengthened the emergency response time during California wildfires.
- Popular support for a free and open internet continues to grow, with both Democrat and Republican led proposals. It is a good sign that recently Republicans reached out to Democrats to collaborate on a bipartisan bill.
- However, there are still some key differences between the proposed bills. Therefore, Americans are puttin pressure on their Senators and Representatives to comply with the will of the people.
Bottom line? With a high profile lawsuit backed by nearly half the states and Republicans and Democrats alike advocating for change, it’s still possible we will see full restoration of Net Neutrality.
The biggest risk is that people are prone to forget about the issue or that Congress will cook a watered-down concoction bill that doesn’t deliver the common-sense protections Internet users need and are entitled to.
We promt readers to keep advocating for the internet to stay free! We urge everyone to lend their support now to the new campaign to collect signatures sponsored by Change.org. Action is needed!