Richard Schoonmaker

Everyone & Everything SHOULD be EQUAL on INTERNET

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.

We all pay for internet access. I do not know of anyone who has free internet access. We should all be EQUAL. Phone and cable companies would love this because they could greatly degrade the VOIP internet phone services that millions of us have subscribed to. I would hope that the FTC will become involved in this matter because of the potential damage to FREE COMMERCE.