Americans Bombard the FCC with Demands for Real Net Neutrality b4in.org/f5ka Grassroots organizations on Tuesday applauded the American public for its passionate support of real Net Neutrality protections. In an unprecedented outpouring of concern, millions of Americans have submitted comments to the Federal Communications Commission rejecting Chairman Tom Wheeler’s plan to allow priority Internet access for a few rich companies. The agency’s docket for public input reached its halfway point as the initial comment period drew to a close. The influx of public comments was so heavy on Tuesday that the FCC’s site sputtered off and on, prompting many in the D.C. area to deliver comments by hand. The public may continue to submit comments through Sept. 10. This is the greatest public response to any rulemaking in the FCC’s history. More than 1 million people had petitioned the agency for strong Net Neutrality protections within weeks of a January 2014 court decision that overturned the FCC’s 2010 Open Internet Order. During the agency’s May 15 meeting, more than a million people submitted additional petitions. That number has grown significantly since then. On Friday, the FCC said an additional 647,000 comments had been entered into the docket. Hundreds of thousands of comments are expected in the weeks to come. The vast majority of the comments submitted so far urge the agency to scrap its pay-for-prioritization proposal and implement real Net Neutrality rules. “In close to a decade of fighting for the open Internet, I’ve never seen more awareness and enthusiasm about this issue,” said Free Press President and CEO Craig Aaron. “Millions of Internet users have flooded the agency with support for real Net Neutrality. And almost no one outside FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler’s office is advocating for his pay-to-play proposal. Wheeler claims he supports the open Internet, but the rules he’s proposing would allow rampant discrimination and fast lanes for the fortunate few. That’s totally unacceptable, and it’s why so many everyday Internet users are so upset. The best and only path forward for Wheeler is to reclassify Internet providers as common carriers.” “Anything less than Title II classification is a retreat, an assault on the dynamic nature of the Internet, and a complete denial of the public interest,” said former FCC Commissioner Michael Copps, who is now a special adviser to Common Cause and a member of the Free Press board. “Standing up against the corporate takeover of the Internet may not be easy, but it is essential.” More b4in.org/f5ka
Posted on: Wed, 16 Jul 2014 19:42:41 +0000
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