Marcus Rector

My Internet is My Family and My Job

My family is far flung. My sons are in Maine and Southern France. I have brothers in Atlanta and South Carolina and a sister in West Virginia. My wife's family is in Ohio. We're in San Francisco. We use a family website to communicate with one another… little stories of daily life. It's a big part of our lives.

I write a food blog. The access to the blog and to the very many websites that I use for research are extremely important to my work and well being. Reading and commenting on other food blogs is part of that equation.

Why should the mega internet providers have any say in how I conduct my family communication, my work related and leisure activity? Because they're big? Because the big guys think we small guys and individuals will bow to their money grabbing pressure tactics? I don't think so.

We rely on our government to protect our free speech, equal opportunity and economic innovation. 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.