Alexis Moore

Net Neutrality: Critical for Everyone

I raise money for nonprofits. Not PACs or interest groups -- just everyday people who need a little extra help.

I help deaf children learn to read. I help homeless people find a place to sleep and a hot meal. I help communities gain exposure to diverse cultures and art forms.

I do this work through grant writing, which involves a great deal of research. Naturally, I use the Internet, as it usually has the most current and salient information available. It provides statistical and demographic information, background information, provider information and information about particular funding sources.

Of the sites I use, not one is commercial. Therefore, any loss of Net Neutrality and subsequent "tolls" instituted by the phone and cable companies would most certainly block my access to this important information. And if I don't have the information, then neither do funders or providers. And if funders and providers don't have the information, then they cannot plan and implement effectively for their target populations. And if target populations do not have effective service plans, then cultural traditions are lost, homeless people remain on the street and deaf children sit in silence...

What you now consider is not simply an economic question of how best to run the Internet. The ramifications of your decision will impact our democratic process, our personal management, and our very social structures. The populations I serve don't even have Internet access, and yet depend on it because of the funding it derives for them.

The FCC must ensure that broadband providers do not block, interfere with or discriminate against any lawful Internet traffic based on its ownership, source or destination. The well being of millions of Americans depends on it.