Urgent action needed by Thurs Jan 14th

No Ordinary Week for Net Neutrality
By Megan Tady, January 11, 2010
www.savetheinternet.com

It feels like any other work day. You drove the same route to work. You ate the same breakfast. Around 11 a.m., you looked longingly out your window imaging yourself swinging in a hammock on a beach. Pretty routine.

But there’s something different about today – about the next four days, actually. Turns out, this is no ordinary week. The FCC has invited your feedback before they rule on Net Neutrality, but the window for commenting is closing on January 14.

You have until Thursday at midnight to tell the Federal Communications Commission how you feel about the Internet. The comments you file with them will help shape the future of the Internet for generations to come. Our responsibility to protect it is a mighty one.

Do you like the Internet as it is — open to everyone to create and find content? Do you like writing blogs, reading alternative media, posting videos, engaging with your communities, connecting with your friends and family? Do you want to see how the Internet keep developing applications and online experiences we’ve never imagined?

Then you have to tell the FCC. The agency is on the on the cusp of creating a final rule that, if done right, will protect Net Neutrality, the principle that safeguards the Internet from corporate control — and allows us to use it like we do.

The FCC is facing intense pressure from giant phone and cable companies that want to strip away our right to an open Internet. They have already flooded the FCC with comments calling for an end to Net Neutrality so that they can control the Internet and block our access to Web sites and information.

It's time the FCC heard the voices of people like you who rely on the open Internet every day. Don’t know what to say? Here are a few inspirational examples from people who have already filed:

"I am in favor of Net Neutrality. Net Neutrality simply means no discrimination. Net Neutrality prevents Internet providers from blocking, speeding up or slowing down Web content based on its source, ownership or destination. I urge the FCC to adopt policies guaranteeing Net Neutrality."
"Please don't cave to the lobbyists and special interest groups who want to vote for their profits and bottom line. Make the internet free for all, not accessible to just a few privileged individuals."
"I'm asking the FCC and the White House to continue to support this important piece of regulation. I know that the big corps are spending millions of dollars to defeat it (money they've gotten by raising our rates), but I hope that the Administration will not let their fear mongering win in the end. Enact Net Neutrality."
"If you were on AOL, essentially you were confined to the AOL universe. It was hard to break out and explore what else was out there. I don't want Net Neutrality to be diminished or compromised as I am very afraid my future internet universe will be strictly defined by what my ISP wants me to see and hear, not to mention where I shop and spend my money."
We've created an easy-to-use tool to file your comments. By acting today, you can make sure that no FCC commissioner can in good conscience side with the phone and cable cartel against an open Internet.

It's time for the FCC to stand up for Net Neutrality. If you’ve never done it before, now is the time to take action.