What is Net Neutrality?

Net Neutrality is one of the most important digital rights issues of our time. This is an issue that affects everyone - even those who do not work in the technology sector.

Net Neutrality is the idea that all data on the Internet, regardless of who it comes from, its political affiliation, company, or who’s consuming it, should be treated the same way and should move at the same speed.

Net neutrality is why you can find and access any information you want to. It is also why you can set up your own website (for yourself, for your business, or for anything else) for next to nothing, and still have it available to everyone online.

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Why Should I Care?

Net neutrality means that no matter what, you have the same access to information as everyone else. It also means that it’s easy to make your own voice heard online no matter who you are or what your beliefs are.

Telecoms should not control what you can see - especially since they own their own media networks. Net neutrality makes sure they don’t.

The loss of net neutrality will not be sudden. ISPs will slowly change their service plans to be more restricted and more expensive over time. Over a few years, the Internet will become restricted, closed off, difficult to compete on for people and new businesses, and more expensive.

The FCC voted against net neutrality on December 14th, 2017. The fight for net neutrality is ongoing.

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How Can I Help Net Neutrality?

Remember! Be polite and respectful, but be assertive. Spamming or submitting lewd, racist, or otherwise immoral comments does not help the net neutrality cause. While it may feel warranted, sending hate mail to representatives who are against net neutrality does not help the cause.

The fight for the Internet will be neither short nor easy. It will require persistence. Remember that this is a fight worth fighting for. Don’t sit this one out and especially, don’t give up.

Check if your identity was stolen to fight net neutrality

Identities of people, alive and deceased, were used to comment on the FCC net neutrality proposal without their consent.

  1. Check if your identity was used: https://ag.ny.gov/fakecomments
  2. If it was, report it to the New York Attorney General: https://ag.ny.gov/fakecomments-form

Contact your representative(s)

Get in touch the old fashioned way

Tell them that net neutrality with strong Title II classification of ISPs is important to you. You can find who your representatives are using your zipcode on house.gov. Note that hand-written letters and phone calls make the most impact, but emails and faxes help make your voice heard too. You can now do this online at https://www.mailmygov.com/.

Use ResistBot

Text “resist” to 50409, and a bot will guide you through finding your representatives and will send them a fax with your message on your behalf. This service is free, and you can use it as many times as you want.

These organizations are primed to fight for net neutrality with lawsuits if necessary. They need monetary support.

Be part of the public outcry.

…and keep doing it! Don’t let the fight die out, and don’t let your elected officials pretend you don’t care.

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