Fwd: Net Neutrality already under assault!
Michael
To: "Michael Hasse" <mic...@michaelandmae.com>
Sent: Tuesday, June 16, 2015 11:49:03 AM
Subject: Re: Net Neutrality already under assault!
Dear Michael,
Net Neutrality became the law of the land last week. But if we don’t act right now Congress is going to repeal it!
Tomorrow morning, the House Committee on Appropriations will vote to add an amendment to a must pass spending bill that strips the FCC's ability to use the government funds they need to enforce Net Neutrality regulations.
Net Neutrality allows Black bloggers, activists, and entrepreneurs to flourish online despite being blocked out of ownership and participation in traditional media. If the bill passes with this amendment we will lose a crucial civil rights tool.
Will you sign the petition telling Black members of Congress to do everything they can to protect Net Neutrality?
Thanks and Peace,
--Brandi
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Dear Michael,
Getting the FCC to pass strong Net Neutrality rules this February was a major civil rights victory— a victory that this community fought tooth and nail for. But now Congress is launching a nasty sneak attack on Net Neutrality — just two days before the FCC’s historic rules are set to go into effect.
A key House subcommittee that determines what the FCC can and cannot spend money will be voting on a bill within the next few hours that would kill the FCC’s Net Neutrality rules.1 It would gut the rules that protect our community from discrimination by the giant Internet service providers (ISPs) — Verizon, AT&T, Comcast, and Time Warner Cable.
To stop this foul attack we need our Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) leaders on this subcommittee to fight back. We need to raise our voices together and call on Representatives Sanford Bishop (D-GA) and Chaka Fattah (D-PA) to do everything possible to stop this bill.
In the past, Representative Bishop has gone on record against net neutrality while Representative Fattah has defended it. Today we need our CBC leaders to stand together to ensure our communities are protected from corporate attacks on Internet freedom.
This bill is bad news. Unlike other recent threats from Congress to stop the FCC’s rules from taking effect, this bill would be hidden deep inside a big funding package that the House needs to move so the government can continue operating.
If this bill passes it will block the FCC from implementing its civil rights protecting Net Neutrality rules – just days before they would take effect. These rules are so crucial for Black Americans because it allows Black bloggers, activists, and entrepreneurs to flourish online despite being blocked out of ownership and participation in traditional media.
If Big Telecomm and their Congressional lackeys succeed with this nasty sneak attack, then we will lose yet another means of organizing, of fighting institutionalized racism, of showing the world how police brutalize, kill and disregard Black bodies.
We need an open Internet, and pushing Reps. Bishop and Fattah is key to countering this attack.
Thanks and Peace,
--Brandi, Rashad, Arisha, Evan and the rest of the ColorOfChange team.
June 16, 2015
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References
1. "House Republicans Launch Sneak Attack to Undermine Net Neutrality," Free Press, 06-10-2015
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/4888?t=8&akid=4453.1799662.IGQBnK
