Party in Memphis: You Are All Invited
November 30th, 2006 by tkarrEight months ago, very few of us had heard of Net Neutrality, and the SavetheInternet.com Coalition didn’t even exist. Now, not a day goes by without someone sending me a YouTube video, song, blog post or news clipping supporting Net Neutrality.
The SavetheInternet.com Coalition has enabled more than a million Americans to speak out on the issue, moving Net Neutrality to the forefront of the debate over the future of the Internet.
We have stunned the phone and cable lobby and scuttled its plan to strong-arm Congress and make AT&T and Comcast the ultimate gatekeepers to online content.
By stopping Senator Stevens’ massive handout to the network giants, we have opened a path to creating a more democratic broadband framework for 2007 and beyond.
 Tom Morello at the 2003 Conference |
You’re Invited
We’re now pleased to invite you to a blowout party to celebrate this historic accomplishment and begin the conversation on where we go from here.
On January 11 in Memphis, many of the more than 6,000 bloggers, YouTubers, Politicians, musicians, celebrities, activists and citizens who form the core of SavetheInternet.com Coalition will come together on the eve of the National Conference for Media Reform in Memphis.
We’ve booked the Gibson Guitar Factory from 9 p.m. until closing. They’ll be a DJ, booze and dancing. We’ll be projecting dozens of videos created by YouTube activists throughout the year.
Internet for Everyone
During the party we will unveil SavetheInternet.com’s blueprint for the future of the Internet — a plan not just to secure Net Neutrality in the next Congress but also to build momentum behind a vision of a faster, more accessible broadband for everyone — returning our country to the digital forefront.
The party will help kick off the National Conference for Media Reform, which is about establishing media reform and Internet freedom as winnable political issues.
 2005 Conference Workshop |
Speakers on hand over the long weekend include Rev. Jesse Jackson, Bill Moyers, Arianna Huffington, M-1 from Dead Prez, Helen Thomas, Jane Fonda, Davey D, Robert Greenwald, Dan Gillmor, Paul Reickhoff, Matt Stoller, Amy Goodman, Cenk Ugyur and others.
Victory in 2007 and Beyond
SavetheInternet.com members will participate on panels and workshops on online organizing, blogger activism, Net Neutrality, the future of the Internet, and to meet face to face, strategize and build momentum for winning Net Neutrality as a new Congress returns to Washington.
Panel topics include:
- Going Viral — The power of social networks to make change and circumvent the mainstream media.
- SavetheInternet — The success of the campaign and the challenges ahead in 2007. (with Free Press)
- Universal Broadband — Making high-speed Internet available for all.
- Citizen Journalism — Blogs and beyond, making an impact in the new media landscape. (with Dan Gillmor)
- Media Reform and the Vote
- The Press at War and the War on the Press (with Helen Thomas)
- Trust or Verify — propaganda and the press
- Media Watchdogs – (with Media Matters)
- From Computer Screens to the Streets — activism in a wired world (with MoveOn)
Join us in Memphis. Celebrate the future of the Internet on Thursday and stay for a weekend of partying and plotting.
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Update: Bloggers can learn more about getting credentials for the weekend by clicking here.
December 1st, 2006 at 12:14 am
So wait… we won? When did that happen?
December 1st, 2006 at 6:10 am
As soon as this Congress gavels to a close, we can declare a significant victory in the battle for faster, open and more accessible broadband in the country.
The Stevens bill was a shameless government handout to the telcos, offering little to the public in return. It went down to defeat after a massive public outcry (enabled by this Coalition) in favor of Net Neutrality and against any legislations that failed to protect this principle of a free and open Internet. We stopped this telco-powered, legislative juggernaut and should take a moment to celebrate our successes thus far.
But the phone and cable lobby isn’t rolling over yet. We’ve much left to do in order to: 1. Make Net Neutrality enforceable, 2. Make broadband faster and more accessible to more Americans and 3. Ensure that the Internet remains a revolutionary force for free speech, democratic participation and economic innovation.
Memphis is about feting our successes in 2006 and carrying this momentum forward with a plan for action to make a better Internet in 2007 and beyond.
December 1st, 2006 at 12:30 pm
Sounds great. I must say good work to everyone. I’ll be here standing by to contact representatives regarding anything that may come up, I hope others will be too.
December 1st, 2006 at 6:36 pm
In upstate NY, I have recently noticed some very tough commercials that simply make the blanket statement that Net Neutrality is bad for the consumer. It will cost more money.
It is pretty evil (effective) advertisement that doesn’t even attempt to explain the issue - just that it is bad. Do you have a strategy for combatting this type of argument for the non-technical internet user/voter?
December 1st, 2006 at 11:09 pm
Over here in Louisiana I’ve seen maybe 1 or 2 commercials but that’s it.
December 2nd, 2006 at 7:04 pm
I wish that the net neutrality supporters (such as microsoft, google, etc) would pool some $$$ and start airing commercials of their own.
December 2nd, 2006 at 7:05 pm
Or maybe better yet, microsoft.com could have pro-net neutrality articles, so could google.com, yahoo.com, etc, etc.
December 2nd, 2006 at 7:09 pm
Well it seems google does have it’s own article(s) on this issue, but they need to be linked from the front page of google.com.
December 4th, 2006 at 5:57 pm
WOW, I just saw a savetheinternet.com commercial on tv! Great work guys, I didn’t even know you were running commercials. It was on CNN.