[Libs-Or] Fwd: Verizon and Comcast can do what now?

Thu Jan 16 10:15:10 PST 2014

Here is some information on how we move forward.
 ---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Rashad Robinson, ColorOfChange.org" <info at colorofchange.org>
Date: Jan 16, 2014 10:10 AM
Subject: Verizon and Comcast can do what now?
To: "Diedre Conkling" <diedre08 at gmail.com>
Cc:

 A few major corporations now control what we can see and do online.
    *A few major corporations now control what we can see and do online.*

[image: woman at
computer]<http://act.colorofchange.org/go/3204?t=1&akid=3240.1732248.kTO8Hc>

*Tell the FCC: save the open Internet now! *

[image: Take Action]<http://act.colorofchange.org/go/3204?t=2&akid=3240.1732248.kTO8Hc>

Dear Diedre,

A federal appeals court just killed critically important government
protections against discrimination online; *the giant Internet service
providers (ISPs) — Verizon, AT&T, Comcast, and Time Warner Cable — now have
total control over what information we can access on the web*.

It's a nightmare scenario, and one the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) has long seen coming. A self-imposed, Bush-era rule restricting the
agency's ability to regulate broadband foreshadowed the court's finding
this week that ISPs no longer have to treat all web users equally1 — *they
can block websites, slow down services, and double- and triple-dip in
charging extra fees to restore access*.2

But we have the power to stop this. By raising our voices together, *we can
ensure the FCC has the political will to act on its authority to reverse a
decade of failed Internet policy* — and the courage to stand up to an
industry that has pushed it around for too long.

FCC chair Tom Wheeler says he supports a free and open Internet, but
actions speak louder than words. *Demand the FCC re-regulate broadband and
save the Internet
now*.<http://act.colorofchange.org/go/3204?t=3&akid=3240.1732248.kTO8Hc>

The Internet is an essential service we rely on to conduct our most basic
daily affairs, from applying for a job to finding a home to running a small
business. And *our right to communicate freely and be heard lies at the
heart of our ability to participate fairly in our democracy*.

ColorOfChange has been at the forefront of efforts to protect our ability
to communicate freely online since we fought to enshrine rigorous FCC Net
Neutrality rules in 2010.3 Real Net Neutrality ensures ISPs and content
companies can’t collude to turn the democratic Internet into
corporate-controlled cable TV, full of *restrictions, limits on consumer
choice, and toll stations designed to maximize their profits at our expense*.
In the wake of this week's ruling, Net Neutrality is dead.4

Imagine Comcast penalizing subscribers for accessing news sources not owned
by its NBC subsidiary. *Imagine AT&T shutting off access to T-Mobile's
customer service website.* Verizon charging you — and the school you're
attending — extra for you to access classroom resources online. ISPs are
now legally permitted, and more financially incentivized than ever before,
to engage in precisely these types of predatory behaviors.5,6

It doesn't have to be this way. The court agreed the FCC has the power,
bestowed by Congress, to regulate ISPs' business practices — if only the
agency can rethink its conflicting, overly restrictive internal rules.
*Chairman
Wheeler has clear direction that it's time to reclassify broadband
companies as common carriers*, affording the public the same
anti-discrimination protections we all enjoy when making a phone call,
using electricity, or taking public transportation.7

Can you take a moment to make sure Chairman Wheeler gets the message? *Join
us in urging the FCC to defend our right to communicate by reclassifying
broadband now.*<http://act.colorofchange.org/go/3204?t=4&akid=3240.1732248.kTO8Hc>

Thanks and Peace,

--Rashad, Arisha, Matt, Kim and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
  January 16th, 2014

*Help support our
work.*<http://act.colorofchange.org/go/2812?t=5&akid=3240.1732248.kTO8Hc>ColorOfChange.org
is powered by YOU—your energy and dollars. We take no
money from lobbyists or large corporations that don’t share our values, and
our tiny staff ensures your contributions go a long way.

 <http://act.colorofchange.org/go/3205?t=6&akid=3240.1732248.kTO8Hc>
<http://act.colorofchange.org/go/3206?t=7&akid=3240.1732248.kTO8Hc>

References

1. "Cable Firms Don't Have to Share Networks, Court Rules," Washington
Post, 06-28-05
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/3210?t=9&akid=3240.1732248.kTO8Hc<http://act.colorofchange.org/go/3210?t=8&akid=3240.1732248.kTO8Hc>

2. "Anti-Net Neutrality Advocates Back To Making Bogus Arguments,"
Techdirt, 12-03-13
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/3211?t=11&akid=3240.1732248.kTO8Hc<http://act.colorofchange.org/go/3211?t=10&akid=3240.1732248.kTO8Hc>

3. "Your Take: Why We Need Net Neutrality," The Root, 10-02-10
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/3212?t=13&akid=3240.1732248.kTO8Hc<http://act.colorofchange.org/go/3212?t=12&akid=3240.1732248.kTO8Hc>

4. "'Net neutrality' ruling will turn Internet into cable TV, critics say,"
Christian Science Monitor, 01-15-14
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/3213?t=15&akid=3240.1732248.kTO8Hc<http://act.colorofchange.org/go/3213?t=14&akid=3240.1732248.kTO8Hc>

5. "'A FEMA-level fail’: The law professor who coined ‘net neutrality’
lashes out at the FCC’s legal strategy," Washington Post, 01-14-14
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/3214?t=17&akid=3240.1732248.kTO8Hc<http://act.colorofchange.org/go/3214?t=16&akid=3240.1732248.kTO8Hc>

6. "Net neutrality is dead. Bow to Comcast and Verizon, your overlords,"
Los Angeles Times, 01-14-14
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/3215?t=19&akid=3240.1732248.kTO8Hc<http://act.colorofchange.org/go/3215?t=18&akid=3240.1732248.kTO8Hc>

7. "How the FCC screwed up its chance to make ISP blocking illegal," Ars
Technica, 01-14-14
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/3209?t=21&akid=3240.1732248.kTO8Hc<http://act.colorofchange.org/go/3209?t=20&akid=3240.1732248.kTO8Hc>

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