Alison Baas

Lonely

Net Neutrality is essential to free speech, equal opportunity and economic innovation in America. Since the FCC removed this basic protection in 2005, the top executives of phone and cable companies have stated their intention to become the Internet's gatekeepers and to discriminate against Web sites that don't pay their added tolls.

This fundamental change would end the open Internet as we know it. It would damage my ability to connect with others, share information and participate in our 21st century democracy and economy. 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.

I met my current finance and all of my close friends on internet communities. Without them, I would be totally alone, and my life would not have turned out as well as it has. There are so many people nowadays connecting through the internet--and people need the opportunity to seek out others that share their interests, and share their opinions and stories and ideas. The government needs to embrace the freedom of the internet and its pathways of communication rather than trying to block people from each other.

As a student, I also found it immensely helpful to use the internet--and not just the sites that are popular. When you're looking for information about the dialects of Japan, you don't have many good choices for sources, and many of your best sources are small, independent websites and blogs.

Please think twice before taking these resources away from people like me.

Thank you.