People + Policy
= Positive Change for the Public Good
SAVE THE INTERNET
The battle is on … and the stakes have never been higher.
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The Internet is under attack.
Within the next few months, the Federal Communications Commission will vote on rules that would allow Internet service providers to discriminate online and create pay-to-play fast lanes. If the FCC approves this plan, Net Neutrality will vanish.
This is a serious fight. Powerful companies like AT&T and Verizon are deploying hundreds of lobbyists to stop the FCC from making rules that would actually protect Internet users. And Comcast is pretending to support Net Neutrality to sell the government on its merger with Time Warner Cable.
Here’s the good news: Millions of people are fighting back. We’re seeing unprecedented levels of support for the open Internet.
But if we’re going to win, we need to get bigger and louder than ever before — and we need to do it fast.
Our Goals:
Secure Real Net Neutrality
On May 15, 2014, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler proposed rules that would allow rampant discrimination online. We must convince the FCC to abandon its proposal, restore its authority to enforce strong Net Neutrality rules, and protect the open Internet once and for all.
Wheeler's proposal would let a handful of companies become the gatekeepers of everything we do, say and see online. If this plan goes into effect, Internet service providers will be allowed to favor their own content and charge extra fees to others for VIP treatment. This would create a two-tiered Internet, with express lanes for the few who could afford the tolls — and slow dirt roads for the rest of us.
To save Net Neutrality, the FCC needs to reclassify broadband providers as common carriers. This is the only way to protect the open Internet.
Fight back.
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Stop the Merger Mania
Net Neutrality is under serious threat precisely because only a handful of mammoth phone and cable companies control Internet access in the United States.
Comcast is the biggest of them all, and it wants to buy chief rival Time Warner Cable for $45 billion … which would give it a service area covering nearly two-thirds of the country. To make matters worse, AT&T has jumped back on the merger bandwagon and wants to buy satellite-TV operator DIRECTV for more than $67 billion.
For the cost of these two monster deals, AT&T and Comcast could collectively deploy super-fast gigabit-fiber broadband service to every single home in America.
Take action.
Learn more.
The Internet Is In Danger
Net Neutrality has made the Internet an unrivaled space for free speech, civic participation, innovation and opportunity. Net Neutrality prohibits online discrimination and gives any individual, organization or company the same chance to share their ideas and find an audience.
What's Wrong with the FCC's Proposal
These rules would let a handful of giant Internet companies become the gatekeepers of everything we do, say and see online. If the FCC’s rules go into effect, Internet service providers will be allowed to favor their own content and charge extra fees to others for VIP treatment. This would create a two-tiered Internet with express lanes for the few who could afford the tolls — and slow dirt roads for the rest of us.
Mega-Mergers, Mega-Problems
Companies like Comcast and AT&T are trying to buy out their competition and sell Washington regulators on their disastrous deals. But allowing these companies to get even bigger won't help the open Internet — it will only make the gatekeepers more powerful. For the cost of these two monster deals, Comcast and AT&T could collectively deploy super-fast gigabit-fiber broadband service to every single home in America.
What Can We Do About All This?
Millions of people have pushed the FCC to protect real Net Neutrality, and hundreds of thousands are weighing in on the need to block the Comcast merger. If we succeed, the open Internet will continue to thrive as a space shared and shaped by its millions of users.
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TIMELINE to SAVE THE INTERNET
Jan. 14, 2014:
A federal court strikes down the FCC’s 2010 Open Internet Order.
April 19:
The FCC’s new proposal is leaked — and public interest in Net Neutrality soars.
May 15:
FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler officially proposes his flawed rules. Hundreds of people converge outside the FCC headquarters in Washington, D.C. and rallies break out in cities across the U.S.
July 15:
On the day initial public comments on the FCC’s proposal are due, the agency’s servers crash thanks to the heavy traffic. Within a few short hours Free Press and allies mobilize to hand-deliver hundreds of thousands of comments. The agency makes the unprecedented move of extending its deadline by three days.
July-August:
The SUMMER TO SAVE THE INTERNET: Activists participate in dozens upon dozens of in-district meetings with congressional offices, rally outside fundraisers President Obama attends in the Bay Area and Los Angeles, and file comments in record numbers at the FCC in favor of real Net Neutrality.
Sept. 10:
The Internet Slowdown. On Sept. 10, hundreds of organizations and online companies — including Netflix, Kickstarter, Etsy and Tumblr — display a spinning icon representing a slow-loading Internet on their websites. This massive day of action drives 2 million emails and nearly 300,000 calls to Congress, and 777,364 people file comments with the FCC.
Sept. 15:
The period for public reply comments closes. A record-breaking 3.7 million people have filed comments — and most support real Net Neutrality. Big rallies are held in New York City and Philadelphia.
Oct. 21
Activists rally in College Station, Texas, and pack a hearing convened by FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai, a Net Neutrality foe.
Oct. 27
Free Press and allies organize a big speakout in New York City to highlight the voices of the communities the FCC's decision will most impact.
Oct. 30
The Wall Street Journal reports on new rules under consideration — rules that would still allow slow lanes online. A huge backlash follows in the press and among public interest groups.
Nov. 10
President Obama releases a video statement urging the FCC to reclassify broadband under Title II.
Jan. 7, 2015
Chairman Wheeler signals that he will likely base new Net Neutrality rules on Title II. He announces that a vote on these rules will take place on Feb. 26.
HOW WE'LL WIN
Pressure the FCC
The FCC is supposed to protect the public interest, but over the past decade it's made a series of questionable policy decisions that stripped the agency of its authority to protect Internet users.
Already 3.7 million people have weighed in on Chairman Wheeler's flawed plan, and hundreds of thousands are fighting the proposed Comcast-Time Warner Cable merger.
Using detailed legal arguments and grassroots activism, we will push the FCC to drop Wheeler's plan and block the Comcast merger.
Here's how you can get in touch with the FCC:
- Tell the FCC we want real Net Neutrality.
- Call the FCC commissioners.
- Demand public hearings on Net Neutrality.
- Speak out against the proposed Comcast-Time Warner Cable merger.
Check out the comments we filed with the agency:
- Free Press Initial Comments on Proposed Open Internet Rules (July 17, 2014)
- Free Press Petition to Deny Comcast-Time Warner Cable Merger (Aug. 25, 2014)
- Free Press Reply Comments on Proposed Open Internet Rules (Sept. 15, 2014)
Get Congress on the Record
While this battle is centered on the FCC, we need lawmakers in the House and Senate to step up and tell Chairman Wheeler where their constituents stand. Congress plays a key role in this fight, and pressure from our elected officials makes a huge difference. Already more than 60 members of Congress have spoken out, but there's more to do.
Here's how you can help:
- Write to Your Member of Congress: Want to send a personal note to your member of Congress? Email us and we’ll send you some samples to work from.
- Meet With Your Member of Congress: You don't have to go all the way to Washington to weigh in with your elected officials. Check out our step-by-step guide for setting up meetings with your members of Congress in their local offices.
- Write a Letter to the Editor: One of the most useful ways to get your story to policymakers is to write a letter to the editor of your local paper. Policymakers and their staffs read these letters to get a sense of what their constituents care about.
Make Noise Outside of D.C.
To win, we have to organize outside of Washington. And that's exactly what we've been doing.
The Sept. 10 Internet Slowdown brought together millions of Internet users to drive tens of thousands of calls to lawmakers. On Sept. 15, hundreds gathered at rallies in New York City and Philadelphia to speak out against the FCC proposal. In October, we organized a rally in Texas and a big public speakout in New York City. Up next: a November public hearing in San Francisco.
Want to turn up the volume in your community? Here are a few things you can do:
- Hold a Net Neutrality Demonstration: Check out our toolkit for tips.
- Meet with your Members of Congress: Our step-by-step guide for setting up meetings with your members of Congress in their local offices.
- Looking for more? We've got everything you need.
Expand and Mobilize the Movement
An ever-expanding coalition of groups is educating and organizing their diverse constituencies to advocate for strong Net Neutrality protections. Check out the links below to learn more about how Net Neutrality impacts all of our communities.
- Voices for Internet Freedom: A coalition representing communities of color fighting for Net Neutrality.
- Battle for the Net: The organizers of the Internet Slowdown.
- Advocacy organizations and NGOs: More than 100 groups have come out in favor of reclassification and real Net Neutrality rules.
- Innovators, investors and Internet companies: Hundreds of companies — including 150 startups, smaller companies like Etsy and Kickstarter and even tech giants like Amazon, Facebook, Google and Twitter — have submitted pro-Net Neutrality comments to the FCC.
- Artists, musicians and actors: The creative community has spoken out in support of real Net Neutrality.
Get the Facts
Knowledge is power. Learn more about what's at stake.
- Net Neutrality FAQs: Everything you ever wanted to know about Net Neutrality but were afraid to ask.
- Net Neutrality Primer: Gives a great overview of the issue and is best for distribution at events and rallies.
Overviews:
- Getting to the Real Roots of the Net Neutrality Debate
- Net Blocking: A Problem in Search of a Solution
- The Five Epic Fails in the FCC's New Net Neutrality Plan
Net Neutrality and Investment:
- Fighting the Zombie Lies: Sorry ISPs, Title II Is Good for the Economy
- The Biggest Lie About Net Neutrality
Title II and Reclassification:
Get Everyone Talking
Media coverage of Net Neutrality has skyrocketed this year. Since January, the Free Press team has had more than 3,000 press hits in outlets including the New York Times, the New Yorker, the Wall Street Journal, NPR, PBS, and the Washington Post. And the fight has made the rounds in pop culture, with celebrities taking up the cause as well.
Here are some of our favorite moments:
- Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Net Neutrality
- Hollywood Reporter: Mark Ruffalo, OK Go Protest Proposed Net Neutrality Changes
- Democracy Now! Internet Slowdown: Online Protest Warns Users of What’s to Come if Net Neutrality Rules Redrawn
- TIME: Net Neutrality Campaign Claims Victory in ‘Battle for the Net’
- PBS NewsHour: Will End of Net Neutrality Rules Impact Future Innovation?
- New Republic: Somehow, Activists Have Put Protecting Net Neutrality Back on the Agenda
Join Us
Our rights to connect and communicate — via universally accessible, open, affordable and fast communications networks and devices — are essential to our individual, economic and political freedoms.
The Internet is the foremost battleground for free speech in the 21st century, and protecting our Internet freedom is essential to safeguarding our rights to speak and assemble in private.
Together we’re building the movement we need to protect our rights to connect and communicate.
