Net neutrality died back in January of this year when a U.S. Appeals Court struck down the Federal Communications Commission’s 2010 order imposing certain regulations on wireline broadband service providers. People across the country were infuriated, and rightfully so. But news emerged earlier this week suggesting that the Federal Communications Commission would once again try to instate a new set of regulations to help keep a level playing field on the Web.
Has the Internet been saved? Is net neutrality coming back? The answer, according to tens of thousands of angry consumers across the U.S., is no.
One need only glance at the technology subreddit on Reddit for a few moments to see just how little many Internet users approve of the FCC’s new proposed rule set. Many people feel that the new net neutrality proposal doesn’t keep the Web neutral at all. In fact, it is believed by some that the new rules purposefully allow for an Internet that is anything but neutral.
GigaOm’s Stacy Higginbotham penned a great summary of the opposition stance.
But what can we do? Is there any way to save the Internet? Rabble-rousing on Reddit has been proven to accomplish surprisingly great things in the past, but this time around it might take a little more effort for your voice to be heard.
The American public’s battle plan is still forming but as pointed out by Daring Fireball, there is no better way to begin this fight than by visiting Free Press’s “Save The Internet” website and following its instructions.
The site calls for users to start by signing a petition that will be sent to FCC chairman Tom Wheeler. Then consumers are urged to pick up the phone and call the FCC to voice their concerns surrounding the new FCC regulations.
Finally, the site says that all who oppose the new proposed regulations read an essay penned by Free Press head Craig Aaron in order to ensure that they are fully informed.
We might suggest shuffling the order a bit — reading Aaron’s essay should probably be the first step you take.
If you want to save the Internet, clicking the link to Free Press’ new website below in our source section is exactly where you need to start.
