Save The Internet

I signed up for this thing so I suppose I'll follow through with it. A bill was introduced not too long ago to gut the Internet's First Amendment, namely the one known to uphold the internet's complete "neutrality". That means I can go to any site I want to go to as long as I pay for the service. The bill, which at this point has moved past the House and the Senate Commerce Committee, would allow major telecoms, such as Verizon and AT&T, to slow access, and/or completely ban certain sites they don't deem suitable, or don't pay them enough. This would mean the end of websites like Google, YouTube, Wikipedia, and iTunes. For instance a large telco could make Google so slow that you would be inclined to visit another search engine they had completely bought. Not to mention the bill could squelch freedom of speech for entire political parties. Political blogs and free news sites would be regimented or disappear. It would put them in charge of the flow of all media on the web, and this thing is going to the Senate floor very soon. It is very real.

I am happy to say that some of our Senators still remain enlightened. While some have been bought by the major telecoms (I'm talking to you, McCain, Burns, and Allen) some still realize what the internet is, and that it's worth fighting for. Oddly enough my own senator Olympia Snowe, who I am not usually quite so fond of, has been at the forefront of this fight. In fact when the vote was moved to the Senate Commerce Committee, where it tied, Snowe was the sole Republican vote in with the democrats. Along with Byron Dorgon she introduced a piece of legislation called The Internet Freedom Preservation Act. In an official press release, Snowe spoke on the subject.

“What has made the Internet such a remarkable success is the ability of people everywhere to experience a world of their own choosing on their own terms,” said Snowe. “This freedom has fostered an unprecedented exchange of information and ideas that has led to an explosion in consumer choice, the creation of new businesses, and the spread of democratic ideals around the globe. Unfortunately, if Congress does not act, the age of digital democracy will come to an end. Senator Dorgan and I introduced the Internet Freedom Preservation Act to prevent fundamental changes to the internet that would undo the democratic principles upon which it was founded.”

Thank you! I have a senator that is good for something. Anyway this website can tell you everything I did and more. Sign the petition. Add your myspace. Learn knowledge. America might be the better for it, and I will have not wasted fifteen minutes of my life.