Hi,

Verizon has just been caught red-handed slowing down Netflix and Youtube videos. They aren't giving customers the full speeds they pay for in what appears to be a blatant violation of net neutrality.[1]

At first, Verizon wouldn’t explain what was happening. Only after they were pushed and pushed by journalists and Internet users, the company assured customers that this was merely a test. But we're not buying it.

To make matters worse, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai -- coincidentally a former top lawyer for Verizon -- is actively working to destroy the rules that would prevent this type of abuse by big Internet providers.

This is exactly why we’re doubling down in the fight for saving net neutrality. If you chip in today, we'll be able to place hard-hitting billboards that urge Congress to rein in the FCC and stop them from destroying net neutrality.

FCC Chair Pai has been plotting to undo strong net neutrality rules ever since we helped win them back in 2015. Towing the party line of his former employer, Verizon, Pai appears hellbent on giving ISPs new powers to take as much money from Internet users as possible. [2]

Left to their own devices, Big Cable will do everything it can to control what we see and do online. This would affects all of us. We rely on the internet every day for our jobs and school, our daily lives, and for entertainment.

But the cable lobbyists are facing incredible pushback. Our July 12 Internet-Wide Day of Action made history, with 2 million sending comments to the FCC, and tens of millions hearing our message for the first time.[3] Congress is feeling the pressure and very few lawmakers have been willing to come out in support of Pai’s unpopular plan.[4]

We can save net neutrality but we need to keep the pressure on. Will you chip in today?

Americans across the political spectrum support a fair and open internet, without censorship--and if we can keep the momentum of the Internet-Wide Day of Action building, we can stop the repeal of net neutrality.[5] Here’s what we have planned:

    We’re crowdfunding impossible-to-miss billboards in key districts to make it hard for Congress to hide where they stand on the open Internet.
    Working with our Battle For The Net partners, we will undertake one of the most ambitious nationwide organizing efforts to date. We'll get boots on the ground during the August Congressional recess to make sure every lawmaker is hearing directly from constituents on this important issue.
    Our small team will continue to innovate and maximize every opportunity we can to harness the power of the web to raise your voices, empower Internet users, and save the open web.

Verizon’s latest dirty trick is exactly why we need strong net neutrality rules, and we’ve got a clear strategy to keep them in place. Can you chip in?
Together we can do this,

Holmes and the team at Fight for the Future
[1] https://www.theverge.com/2017/7/20/16005426/netflix-verizon-data-speeds-cap-net-neutrality

[2] http://transition.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2017/db0427/DOC-344590A1.pdf

[3] https://www.fightforthefuture.org/news/2017-07-13-update-historic-day-of-action-for-net-neutrality/

[4] http://variety.com/2017/biz/news/trump-white-house-comments-on-net-neutrality-1202499030/

[5] https://medium.com/mozilla-internet-citizen/poll-americans-overwhelmingly-support-net-neutrality-98b6b77f6cfe

 

Fight for the Future works to protect your rights in the digital age.