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Don’t Forget – Save the Internet: Net Neutrality – It’s Important!

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Save the Internet: Click hereI’m sure most of you have heard of Net Neutrality for some time by now. Please do not forget to stay current with your representatives’ view on this important issue. Your ability to connect to sites like MySpace.com, Care2.com, ACLU.org, or Eff.org could be at risk. Even if you’ve acted before, following up is important.

If you have not already done so (or if it has been a while), please do the following:

Nothing beats directly communicating with your government representatives. While the Net Neutrality laws being discussed are focused on the USA, this problem has worldwide impact. If you live in or work in another country, request your country’s government to apply pressure on the USA to insist on Net Neutrality — REAL Net Neutrality — so that your country’s access to Internet services is not harmed. Whether it’s a good thing or not (probably not), much of the world’s Internet is hosted and/or operated within the United States, so its laws are very far-reaching. Big companies like AT&T and Verizon with a global presence are pushing for relaxing or eliminating Net Neutrality. Contact them and tell them how much you are opposed to their efforts.

Below is the letter I wrote to my representatives in Congress:

I am a business owner and your constituent writing to urge you to vote NO on Senator Stevens’ telecommunications bill (H.R. 5252 / S. 2686) unless real Net Neutrality language is added.
I have been using the Internet since 1990, back before the World Wide Web was graphical. Years ago I helped bring the first community-based Internet service provider (ISP) to San Luis Obispo, California, and I have seen firsthand the incredible growth, promise, and potential of the Internet. I have seen the world shrink from an unimaginably big place to a place where I now have friends in probably over 50 different countries. I have seen small businesses compete, and often outperform, bigger companies that were slow to adopt.
Companies like Amazon.com, Yahoo.com, and Google.com have become part of nearly every person’s life on this planet. How did that happen? Because the Internet is the only place on this planet that is not fragmented and sectionalized into fiefdoms and regulated by profits.
Net Neutrality is vitally important to the ongoing success of the Internet. Without it, there will no longer be an Internet as we know it. There will be subnets where your ISP becomes your programming director. It won’t be blatant at first, but over time, you will get only what you pay for. To get more of the Internet, you will have to pay more ISPs for access to their preferred content. Sure, the companies are arguing that now, but without laws in place to enforce net neutrality, these companies’ guarantees are meaningless.
Do what is right for the world and the future. Please vote NO on Senator Stevens’ telecommunications bill (H.R. 5252 / S. 2686) unless real Net Neutrality language is added that prohibits network operators from discriminating against content and creating a tiered Internet. I will be following your actions related to this matter. Thank you for your time.

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1 thought on “Don’t Forget – Save the Internet: Net Neutrality – It’s Important!”

  1. Response received from Senator Feinstein (D, CA) on 8/21 at 3:07 PM:

    August 21, 2006

    Dear Mr. Murray:

    Thank you for writing to me about open access to the Internet and network neutrality. I appreciate hearing from you.

    I agree with the general principles of network neutrality that owners of the networks that provide access to the Internet should not control how consumers lawfully use that network and should not be able to discriminate against content provider access to that network.

    As Congress debates changes to our telecommunications laws this year, many different proposals have been offered regarding network neutrality. The question arises whether or not action is needed to ensure unfettered access to the Internet. I believe any workable solution must balance the needs of the network, service and information providers. Please know that when legislation regarding network neutrality comes before the Senate I will be sure to keep your specific views in mind.

    Again, thank you for writing. If you should have any comments or questions, I hope you will feel free to contact my Washington, DC staff at (202) 224-3841.

    Sincerely yours,

    Dianne Feinstein
    United States Senator
    http://feinstein.senate.gov

    Further information about my position on issues of concern to California and the Nation are available at my website http://feinstein.senate.gov. You can also receive electronic e-mail updates by subscribing to my e-mail list at http://feinstein.senate.gov/issue.html.

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