Press Release
250,000 People Ask the FCC to Save the Internet
Contact: Timothy Karr, 201-533-8838
WASHINGTON -- Members of the SavetheInternet.com coalition collected nearly 250,000 signatures on petitions asking the Federal Communications Commission to take swift action to protect the open Internet.
An April 6 federal appeals court decision left the agency’s authority to protect Internet users in legal limbo. The signers urged the FCC to reclassify broadband as a Title II “telecommunications service” under the Communications Act, in order to restore the agency’s ability to stop phone and cable companies from controlling the free flow of communications online.
The coalition, which includes Free Press, ColorofChange.org, CREDO, MoveOn.org, ACLU and hundreds of others, is encouraging the FCC to put the public interest first and to keep the Internet open to all.
“If the FCC fails to act, it will diminish the accessibility and utility of the Internet for everyone,” said Misty Perez Truedson of Free Press, which organized the coalition. “We need to establish clear rules of the road to protect consumers.”
"The Internet holds truly revolutionary potential to give marginalized communities a more powerful political voice and connect them with 21st-century economic opportunity," said James Rucker, executive director of ColorOfChange.org. "But that potential can only be realized if the Internet remains an open communications network, free from discrimination by corporate gatekeepers."
“A free and open Internet is an important part of 21st-century democracy,” said Becky Bond, political director of CREDO Action. “The FCC must take action to ensure that big corporations don’t discriminate when it comes to the ability of citizens to access information over the Internet.”
The SavetheInternet.com coalition is made up of hundreds of groups from across the political spectrum that are concerned about maintaining a free and open Internet. No corporation or political party funds the coalition’s efforts. The coalition is coordinated by Free Press, a national, nonpartisan organization working to reform the media.
An April 6 federal appeals court decision left the agency’s authority to protect Internet users in legal limbo. The signers urged the FCC to reclassify broadband as a Title II “telecommunications service” under the Communications Act, in order to restore the agency’s ability to stop phone and cable companies from controlling the free flow of communications online.
The coalition, which includes Free Press, ColorofChange.org, CREDO, MoveOn.org, ACLU and hundreds of others, is encouraging the FCC to put the public interest first and to keep the Internet open to all.
“If the FCC fails to act, it will diminish the accessibility and utility of the Internet for everyone,” said Misty Perez Truedson of Free Press, which organized the coalition. “We need to establish clear rules of the road to protect consumers.”
"The Internet holds truly revolutionary potential to give marginalized communities a more powerful political voice and connect them with 21st-century economic opportunity," said James Rucker, executive director of ColorOfChange.org. "But that potential can only be realized if the Internet remains an open communications network, free from discrimination by corporate gatekeepers."
“A free and open Internet is an important part of 21st-century democracy,” said Becky Bond, political director of CREDO Action. “The FCC must take action to ensure that big corporations don’t discriminate when it comes to the ability of citizens to access information over the Internet.”
The SavetheInternet.com coalition is made up of hundreds of groups from across the political spectrum that are concerned about maintaining a free and open Internet. No corporation or political party funds the coalition’s efforts. The coalition is coordinated by Free Press, a national, nonpartisan organization working to reform the media.
