Ed Keeter

Internet freedom is critical to the self-employed

I am a self-employed small business consultant who for the past three years has assisted over 100 other individuals with starting their own small businesses as self-employed workers. In almost every case we have a very limited budget to work with and we usually rely on the internet for research, for working with vendors and most importantly for marketing their goods and services.

Any change that increases the costs or decreases the ease and availability of leveraging the internet to support these small businesses would be a harmful, potentially fatal blow to them.

Freelancers, self-employed workers and very small businesses are absolutely critical to restoring the American economy and putting people back to work. Public policy regarding the internet MUST be made in support of this segment of the economy.

Net Neutrality is essential to free speech, equal opportunity and economic innovation on the Web. Since 2005, phone and cable companies have tried to establish themselves as the Internet’s gatekeepers and to discriminate against Web sites and services that they don’t like.

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 democracy and economy. Congress and the FCC must ensure that broadband providers do not block, interfere with or discriminate against my Internet choices. The future of the free-flowing Web depends upon it.