Campaign Action
Since Federal Communciations Chairman Tom Wheeler proposed a two-tiered, pay-for-play internet, the agency has been deluged by comments opposing the move—677,000 comments in fact, more than the last big firestorm over Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction." There have been so many comments, in fact, that the FCC has extended the deadline for comments from midnight tonight to midnight Friday, per Politico, because the online comment site has been overwhelmed. Wheeler told The Hill that the agency is working through comments.
FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler said the agency is “mining through” the submissions from lawmakers, content providers, public interest groups and citizens who have seen fit to tell the FCC what is on their mind. “There’s a lot of late-night oil,” Wheeler said last week in response to a question about how the agency is processing all of the opinions, which it will continue to comb through Tuesday. […] Facing a backlash from public interest groups and Democrats on the commission and in Congress, Wheeler broadened his plan to put more emphasis on other options, including changing how Internet providers are regulated. […] “Reclassification is the best way to for us to preserve the Internet as an unfettered tool for communication and the sharing of ideas,” Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) wrote in a Friday Facebook post.
Schumer joins Sens. Ed Markey (D-MA), Al Franken (D-MN) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Ron Wyden (D-OR), among others, in an official letter to the FCC asking for reclassification. While the numbers—and a good chunk of Senate Democrats—are with real net neutrality with the teeth of FCC enforcement through reclassification, the corporate money is decidedly against it. The big internet providers and telecom services are lobbying hard against us. Meanwhile, tech giants like Google, Netflix, Amazon and Facebook are pushing for net neutrality rules that extend to cellphone service, as well as a commitment from the FCC to protect websites conflicting with ISPs when the providers "abuse 'interconnection deals,' which websites make to connect to Internet providers’ servers for more direct access to users." Public opinion is clear on this one. There's some indication that Wheeler is listening, but there's every incentive to keep the pressure on. If you haven't already, send your comments supporting net neutrality. You can use the FCC comments page; the inbox they set up specifically for this issue, openinternet@fcc.gov; and with Daily Kos's petition.