HUGE NEWS: PRESIDENT OBAMA TAKES GAME CHANGING STAND ON NET NEUTRALITY
Becky Bond, CREDO ACTION
Tell President Obama:
"Thank you for asking your FCC to put the strongest possibile rules in place to protect the Internet."
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Huge news: Yesterday, President Obama made good on his promise to stand up for the Internet.1 He called on the FCC in the strongest possible way to save the Internet by undoing a Bush-era deregulation scheme and reclassifying broadband as a public utility under Title II.
When it comes to Net Neutrality, President Obama just proved whose side he is on–that of the American people and an open and equal Internet.
In the wake of an election that put Republicans in control of the Senate, what happens in the next two years depends a lot on what President Obama is willing to stand up for. Yesterday, President Obama made it very clear that he will stand up for an open and equal Internet.
The president’s statement is a bold repudiation of FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler’s dangerous “hybrid” plan, which would allow for the creation of fast lanes and slow lanes on the Internet.2
His statement was immediately attacked by AT&T and Verizon, and by Republicans like Senator Ted Cruz who has received campaign donations from–you guessed it–AT&T and Verizon!
It's now up to President Obama’s FCC Chair Tom Wheeler and the two other Democratic commissioners serving on the commission that regulates the telecom industry. We don’t yet know if the Democratic majority on the FCC will join President Obama in standing with the American people or if they will cave to Comcast, AT&T and Verizon. But we do know that CREDO and our allies will bring the full force of our activism to the FCC.
CREDO members have already made tens of thousands of phone calls, submitted hundreds of thousands of public comments, attended rallies and even joined an occupation of the FCC on behalf of Net Neutrality. And we’ve funded groups like Demand Progress, EFF and ColorOfChange to generate even more activism. The president heard us and has stepped up in the strongest possible way to protect an open and equal Internet by rejecting half measures and dangerous compromises. We need to thank him and let him know we have his back as Republicans and their cronies at AT&T, Verizon and Comcast unleash a vicious response.
A statement by FCC Chair Tom Wheeler, issued immediately after the president’s, makes it clear that the fight isn’t over.3
Wheeler reiterated that the FCC is an independent agency and that, while he will take President Obama’s comment into consideration, all options–including various proposals that amount to a corporate takeover of the Internet–remain on the table.
Further, Wheeler called for a delay in making a final decision–a move that would play into cable companies’ hands. The FCC’s next meeting is on December 11, and a delay past that deadline would not only give Republicans a chance to seat a majority in the Senate, but would also provide big ISPs more time to mount a massive lobbying and public relations campaign against Net Neutrality.
In truth, the way forward is clear, and Tom Wheeler is just dragging his feet. Twice, the courts have told the FCC what it needs to do to protect the open Internet: reclassify broadband as a telecommunications service under Title II. It’s the only way to prevent big ISPs like Verizon, Comcast, and AT&T from creating fast and slow lanes on the net. Academics, lawyers, and computer scientists agree, and it’s legally straightforward to do—it’s just a matter having the political will.
With President Obama joining us in calling on the FCC to reclassify the Internet as a public utility, Wheeler is more isolated than ever.
You’ll be hearing from CREDO and our allies soon about how we’ll escalate our pressure on FCC Chair Tom Wheeler. But, today, we need to thank President Obama and make it clear how much his support means to us.
Becky Bond, Political Director
CREDO Action from Working Assets
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1. Net Neutrality: President Obama's Plan for a Free and Open Internet. 11-10-2014
2. FCC ‘Net Neutrality’ Plan Calls for More Power Over Broadband." Wall Street Journal, 10-30-14.
3. Chairman Wheeler's Stmt on President Obama's Stmt On Open Internet. 11-10-2014