Help Save the Internet (as we know it)

[tyler]

Here's a very important message I got from a trusted friend that talks about a very serious issue which affects all of us and it is an issue that we can all do something about:


-----Original Message-----
From: My Trusted Friend
Sent: Friday, June 09, 2006 9:45 PM
Subject: IMPORTANT: Update from SavetheInternet.com
Importance: High


Friends, Colleagues, and Family Members:

I normally don't forward these action initiatives, but I have deemed this one so important that I am forwarding this on, and ask you to consider to do the same. Since we know each other in some capacity and hopefully have built trust and respect, I ask for your attention since this may have been the first such thing I've sent to you in years or ever.

First I want to briefly describe the issue and then the current status.

THE CURRENT STATE OF THE INTERNET:

(Inter)Net Neutrality has been with us, more or less, since the beginning of the Internet explosion -- it has leveled the playing field so that all businesses, organizations, and individuals could compete for attention equally: If a web server could handle the load of traffic thrown at it and could serve up requests expediently and the pipeline offered by a hosting provider (once again, the provider could be large or small thanks in part to this same neutrality and offer nearly the same pipeline as its competitors), then a one-man blogging team could offer the same resilient and responsive web experience as a multimillion dollar organization or corporation. This level playing field, for me, has been what has made the web such a refreshing change: You get a domain from a registrar for a fairly cheap price, find a hosting provider who can offer you a hosting fee far less than even your monthly electrical bill and you're serving up content on the web as well as anyone else (whether big or small). This fact has allowed individuals to grow entire web-based businesses in a small amount of time and a low cost, fostered the entry of existing companies or organizations into the web with minimal risk, and ushered in a whole new way of thinking. This is Net Neutrality in a nutshell.

THE IMPENDING ISSUE:

Recent legislation seeks to change that -- some big players have been lobbying for quite some time to convince legislators to destroy Net Neutrality. I never thought such a concept would succeed -- what legislator would consider such a concept as altering the very essence of the Internet. The gist of this change would be that those willing to pay more would be able to serve up bits and bytes over the Web at an even faster rate -- this would benefit the consumer it is argued. The rationale is that these organizations or corporations care for you the consumer (of product, service, or information) so much that they are willing to pay to give you a faster experience with less wait. One proponent of this view told me it is like allowing those who are willing to pay for broadband access for faster download (input) from the web -- at a higher premium, they can get faster service; likewise, a company or organization willing to pay should enjoy the advantage of being able to serve the consumer better (give faster service). So since the consumer of products, services, or information has the option to upgrade at a premium, so should the provider of products, services, or information.

If you look at this situation for a minute, this change of Net Neutrality definitely would offer a lot of profit potential allowing the entire food chain and could offer a whole set of new economic transactions -- it will make a lot of people a lot more rich. But it will also do the opposite for others. In this new economy, attention is the key -- and the attention in the web market is so fickle -- sometimes people won't even bother to navigate to a site if they have to wait a few seconds. Given two sites with different response times the faster one will usually win, even though they were formerly identical with their response times (thanks to Net Neutrality). I think we've all basically got that reflex built in after years of browsing this Web. So, this move would also eliminate a lot of competition, which is very good for those that invest in this 'Net Neutrality'-less world.


THE CURRENT STATE OF THE ISSUE:

Basically, I never thought this would move forward -- what legislator would allow such a thing? Well, as of Friday the 9th of June, the current situation is this (from SaveTheInternet.com's recent news):
\"
House Ignores Public, Sells Out the Internet
Last night?s House vote against an amendment that would make Net Neutrality enforceable is the result of swarming lobbyists and a multi-million-dollar media campaign by telephone companies that want Congress to hand them control of the Internet.

The fight now moves to the Senate, where there is stronger bi-partisan support for a bill ? put forth by Senators Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) and Byron Dorgan (D-North Dakota) ? that would protect our Internet freedom from AT&T, Verizon and BellSouth.\"

WHAT I AM ASKING OF YOU
This grass roots movement is looking to raise funds to advertise to raise awareness of the issue -- the sad part is that many people are simply unaware of what's going on. The goal of the advertising is simply to get everyone 'in the know' about the issue. I'm not asking for you to donate -- that choice is up to you, but what I am asking is:
Please read this email, browse to the site, and educate yourself on this issue.
If you feel it is important to spread the word, please forward it to your friends, family members, and colleagues.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Timothy Karr [mailto:info@freepress.net]
Sent: Wednesday, June 07, 2006 3:46 PM
To: info@freepress.net
Subject: Update from SavetheInternet.com


Dear Coalition Member,
Here's a quick update on the SavetheInternet.com Coalition.

VOTES IN WASHINGTON

Summary: This week there will be a pair of important votes on Net Neutrality. The first occurs Wednesday afternoon during a back-room meeting of the House Rules Committee. Rules will decide whether to allow the full House to vote on pro-Net Neutrality legislation later this week. If Rules allows Net Neutrality to the floor, a second vote could occur as early as Thursday evening, when every House representative has a chance to vote on the issue as an amendment to the COPE Act.

What we are doing: Here's a letter that members of the Coalition sent to the Rules Committee today:

SavetheInternet.com Letter to House Rules

How you can help: Create a loud public outcry to urge the Rules Committee to allow enforceable Net Neutrality legislation to the floor. More than a million Americans have voiced their support for Congress to action in defense of a free and open Internet. Our elected representatives can not dodge this important issue. Each needs to be put on the record regarding the future of the Internet. To that end, here's the outreach Free Press sent to its activists today.

FIGHTING TELCO ASTROTURF

Summary: The telco and cable lobby has fired up its phony front groups and launched a multi-million-dollar media blitz designed to paint Net Neutrality as burdensome and anti-consumer government regulation. The deceptive campaign includes local TV and print ads, canned telephone appeals and beltway radio spots. All of these Astroturf pitches fail to mention that every major consumer advocacy group is in our coalition -- and opposed to the telco position, or that their real plan is not to free the internet from regulation but to write new laws that clear the way for AT&T, Verizon and BellSouth to seize control of content.

What we have done: We plan to fight this misinformation by raising money to support our own media campaign. As this campaign develops, our organizing efforts have extended beyond mobilizing the public to sign petitions, recruiting organizations to join the Coalition and creating and updating the campaign Web site. We now need to be able to raise money to support a media strategy that gets our message of Internet freedom across to more Americans. Here are two concepts:

\"Strange Bedfellows\"
\"AT&T Wants to Reach out and Control You\"

How you can help: Your organization can help support this effort by sending your members to the following fundraising site:

https://secure.freepress.net/05/net_neutrality

All money will go towards our Ad Fund to create compelling media that engages more people in the fight to Save the Internet.

MOVING FORWARD After this week the Net Neutrality fight will shift to Congress, where we have good bipartisan momentum behind a bill offered by Senators Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) and Byron Dorgan (D-North Dakota). Through June and into July, we'll be organizing more activists in support of our efforts in the Senate.

We will use segregate all funds raised through SavetheInternet.com outreaches and the Web site for campaign purposes. Fundraising will pay for expenses such as paid advertising that cannot be covered by in-kind contributions from coalition partners. We encourage all coalition partners to donate in-kind or direct financial support whenever possible.

I welcome your ideas and feedback as we move forward.

I will also keep you in the loop as we employ new tactics in this campaign. If you have any questions about that or any other aspects of our ongoing efforts, please don't hesitate to contact me at tkarr@freepress.net.

Thank you for being a part of this important effort.

Timothy Karr
Free Press Campaign Director
SavetheInternet.com

Post edited by: tyler, at: 2006/06/10 00:32