Policy

One more vote for net neutrality and beyond

Author

February 27, 2018

The tech industry and internet users collectively made a ruckus, but the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) still voted to repeal net neutrality regulations. The FCC published its order in the Federal Register on February 22. That means the U.S. Congress now has 60 legislative days to reverse the FCC’s order, starting in the Senate. 50 of 100 Senators have committed to protecting net neutrality. We need your help once again to flip one vote in the Senate and to keep pressure on the House.

If you’re in the U.S., contact your representatives.

Why? As we wrote in December, it’s important:

Net neutrality gives developers the freedom to build and ship software without being potentially blocked, throttled, or tolled by internet service providers. The result has been vast opportunity for developers. It’s crucial that public policy support expands the opportunity to participate in the software revolution. Undermining net neutrality at a time of concern about consolidation and inequality is precisely the wrong move—directly harmful to developers’ ability to launch new products and eroding trust that the internet is a force for innovation and opportunity.

Not in the U.S.? American net neutrality regulations still matter. An end to them could limit your access to U.S. users and could give policymakers in your country cover to limit net neutrality for you—so help us spread the word. Let your U.S.-based collaborators know why they should act. You can also learn more about and get involved in internet policy in your country. If net neutrality isn’t a live issue where you are, it’s certain that other issues pertinent to protecting and expanding access to the open internet are, including:

Policies are shown to drive down the cost of internet access such as streamlining infrastructure deployment and sharing, innovative use of spectrum, and effective management of access subsidies
Investment in network research and resilience
Policies impacting internet openness above physical infrastructures such as copyright and privacy

Of course, these all are active issues in the U.S., too. If we sustain net neutrality regulation, getting other open internet policies right will still be necessary. If we fail, these adjacent, pro-competitive, policies will become even more important.

Right now, we still have a chance to sustain net neutrality regulation in the U.S. Let’s make the most of it.

Contact your representatives