Hands Off My Internet

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Fri, 27 Jan 2006 06:52:39 -0800 (PST)

Fwd: Hands Off My Internet

 

 

 

 

 

" Lauren Coletta, Common Cause " <CauseNet wrote:

 

 

Thu, 26 Jan 2006 12:47:21 -0800

Hands Off My Internet

" Lauren Coletta, Common Cause "

<CauseNet

 

Dear ......,

 

You think the Internet will always be the great freewheeling

information superhighway you've grown to love? Well, think again.

Media giants want to privatize our Internet.

 

AT & T Devil Telecommunications companies like AT & T and Verizon

are lobbying Congress for the right to control where you go on the

Internet, how fast you get there, and how much you pay for the service.

 

Go here to see what some brazen telecom execs had to say,

http://www.commoncause.org/HandsOffMyInternet

 

and to send them a message about how you feel about the Internet.

http://www.commoncause.org/HandsOffMyInternet

 

Please forward this message to friends and family. If we generate

heat at this stage in the debate, it could really pay off as telecom

legislation works its way through Congress.

 

Verizon DevilIf successful in Congress, these companies would

open the door to violate what techies call " net neutrality. " It is

the principle that Internet users should be able to access any web

content they want, post their own content, and use any applications

they choose, without restrictions or limitations imposed by their

Internet service providers (ISPs).

 

Net neutrality is the reason this democratic medium has grown

exponentially, fueled innovation and altered how we communicate. We

must make certain that for-profit interests do not destroy the

democratic culture of the web.

 

But some big telecommunications executives just don't get it.

For them it is all about their bottom lines. They already charge us

higher prices for slower connections than their counterparts in other

parts of the world.* Now they say that they should get to

double-charge for Internet access - collecting fees not just from us,

but also from websites like Google and .

 

And what about websites like CommonCause.org or your favorite

blog that can't afford to pay up? They might be left in the slow lane

of the information superhighway.

 

Common Cause is ready - with your help - to fight the telcom

giants in the halls of Congress. A major rewrite of

telecommunications law is on the agenda this spring. We need to push

back hard at the telecom lobbyists who want to write Internet freedom

out of the law.

 

Our first step is to send a strong message now to the big

industry execs. Tell them that the principle of net neutrality needs

to be honored, and that Internet service providers (ISPs) should not

play gatekeepers.

 

http://www.commoncause.org/HandsOffMyInternet

Thank you for all you do for Common Cause.

Sincerely,

Lauren Coletta

Director of Campaigns, Common Cause

 

on behalf of Celia, Lauren and Dawn,

the Common Cause Media & Democracy Team

* See this article: " Free American Broadband! " in Salon