ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
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campaigntext_datanum_commentspro_repeal
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0I am in favor of strong net neutrality under Title II of the Telecommunications Act.


Sincerely,
[name]		7542184FALSE
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1The FCC's Open Internet Rules (net neutrality rules) are extremely important to me. I urge you to protect them.

I don't want ISPs to have the power to block websites, slow them down, give some sites an advantage over others, or split the Internet into "fast lanes" for companies that pay and "slow lanes" for the rest.

Now is not the time to let giant ISPs censor what we see and do online.

Censorship by ISPs is a serious problem. Comcast has throttled Netflix, AT&T blocked FaceTime, Time Warner Cable throttled the popular game League of Legends, and Verizon admitted it will introduce fast lanes for sites that pay-and slow lanes for everyone else-if the FCC lifts the rules. This hurts consumers and businesses large and small.

Courts have made clear that if the FCC ends Title II classification, the FCC must let ISPs offer "fast lanes" to websites for a fee.

Chairman Pai has made clear that he intends to do exactly this.

But if some companies can pay our ISPs to have their content load faster, startups and small businesses that can't pay those fees won't be able to compete. You will kill the open marketplace that has enabled millions of small businesses and created the 5 most valuable companies in America-just to further enrich a few much less valuable cable

Moreover, under Chairman Pai's plan, ISPs will be able to make it more difficult to access political speech that they don't like. They'll be able to charge fees for website delivery that would make it harder for blogs, nonprofits, artists, and others who can't pay up to have their voices heard.

My particular concern is for students from low-income families for whom access to the "world's largest library," online tutorials, and ability to "sit-in" on lectures by world-class experts in every field via YouTube has been an often-overlooked and underappreciated way the playing field has been leveled for motivated students in educationally underserved areas. This, for me, is just another step backward for our children as our educational system continues to lag further and further behind other developed countries, and we ourselves fail to produce the skilled labor force among our own citizens required to support our high-tech industry. In this sense, the FCC's deregulation will come at a much higher cost to the American telecommunications sector in the near long term than can possibly be worth any short-term financial gains the beneficiaries of this deregulation might enjoy.

I'm sending this to the FCC's open proceeding, but I worry that Chairman Pai, a former Verizon lawyer, has made his plans and will ignore me and millions of other Americans.

So I'm also sending this to my members of Congress. Please publicly support the FCC's existing net neutrality rules based on Title II, and denounce Chairman Pai's plans. Do whatever you can to dissuade him.

Thank you!		1607372FALSE
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2To the Federal Communications Commission: My comments re: Internet Freedom. I'd like to demand the Federal Communications Commission to repeal The previous administration's plan to control the web. Citizens, rather than so-called experts, should be free to purchase whichever applications we prefer. The previous administration's plan to control the web is a perversion of the open Internet. It ended a pro-consumer approach that functioned very, very well for a long time with Republican and Democrat approval.1384869TRUE
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3In 2015, Chairman Tom Wheeler’s Federal Communications Commission (FCC) imposed restrictive Title II, utility-style regulations under the guise of an “open internet.” Not only have these regulations inhibited innovation in the internet ecosystem, they hurt taxpayers and consumers by expanding the regulatory reach of the FCC and limiting investment in internet infrastructure. We cannot allow this revolutionary tool to be bogged down with excessive government interference.

It is past time for the FCC, an agency that is funded by American taxpayers, to free the internet of burdensome regulations. By rolling back the misguided 2015 regulations we can restore an unrestricted and truly open internet. I thank the Commissioners for considering these comments during the reply period.		1371979TRUE
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6Before leaving office, the Obama Administration rammed through a massive scheme that gave the federal government broad regulatory control over the internet. That misguided policy decision is threatening innovation and hurting broadband investment in one of the largest and most important sectors of the U.S. economy.

I support the Federal Communications Commission's decision to roll back Title II and allow for free market principles to guide our digital economy.		1282764TRUE
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5The current FCC regulatory scheme known as "Title II" represents an unprecedented increase in government control over the internet. Such over-regulation is hurting our economy and suffocating innovation.

I support Chairman Pai's plan to return to a commonsense regulatory framework that allows for the internet to grow without useless government interference. The internet has flourished for decades without the heavy hand of government over-regulation. It’s time we return to what works.		957467TRUE
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4The unprecedented regulatory power the Obama Administration imposed on the internet is smothering innovation, damaging the American economy and obstructing job creation. I urge the Federal Communications Commission to end the bureaucratic regulatory overreach of the internet known as Title II and restore the bipartisan light-touch regulatory consensus that enabled the internet to flourish for more than 20 years. The plan currently under consideration at the FCC to repeal Obama's Title II power grab is a positive step forward and will help to promote a truly free and open internet for everyone.
Net Neutrality should not be interfered with. The internet should not be tampered, or disrupted by an ISP or any other service. Doing so would not be fair to the people who use it daily whether it be for work or entertainment purposes.		818146TRUE
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-1[unique comment]787852FALSE
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8As a concerned taxpayer and consumer, I am writing to urge the FCC to set the internet free and remove the inappropriate, unnecessary and overly vast regulations currently holding back the full potential of the internet. Due to the grip of the utility-style regulations imposed under the previous Commission, taxpayers have been put at risk, the threat of new fees on consumer bills still looms large, investment in internet infrastructure has not realized its full potential, innovations have gone undeveloped and unrealized, and twenty years of the appropriate level of oversight of the internet has been reversed.

We must dial-back the poorly conceived application of Title II in the Open Internet Order so that American taxpayers can benefit from an unrestrained and truly open internet that scales back the unlimited power of the government, protects consumers from new taxes and encourages future investment and endless innovations.		649299TRUE
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7"Dear FCC Commissioner ,

The Obama-era FCC regulations known as ""Title II"" enable the federal government to exert an extraordinary and unnecessary amount of regulatory control over the internet. This bureaucratic overreach impedes innovation, stifles investment and continues to create economic uncertainty for one of the largest sectors of the U.S. economy.

I support Chairman Pai's proposal to roll back Title II and restore the sensible regulatory framework that enjoyed broad bipartisan consensus and enabled the internet to thrive for more than two decades.

I strongly urge all of the FCC Commissioners to support the Chairman's proposal to repeal the harmful Title II internet takeover.


Regards,
[name][address]"		532493TRUE
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9Obama's Federal Communications Commission (FCC) forced regulations on the internet that put the government, and unaccountable bureaucrats, in control. These rules have cost taxpayers, slowed down broadband infrastructure investment, and hindered competition and choice for Americans. The time to remove the regulatory stranglehold on the internet is NOW.

I urge the taxpayer-funded FCC to undo the terrible regulatory burdens that ex-FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler imposed on the internet. After 20 years, and trillions of dollars in infrastructure investment, there is no reason for the government to come in and ruin what has been a thriving tool that has changed the way we all live.

Chairman Pai's proposal to repeal Title II regulations will ensure the continued growth of a dynamic, open internet for all American consumers and taxpayers.		410098TRUE
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10I strongly oppose Chairman Pai's proposal to reverse net neutrality protections because a free and open internet is vital for our democracy, for our businesses, and for our daily lives. It would give giant internet companies the power to prioritize what we read, watch, and explore online. I won't stand for it. It's about my right to be heard and my right to hear others. I submit my public comment to oppose Chairman Pai's proposal to reverse net neutrality protections.383555FALSE
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11In 2015, President Obama's FCC passed rules treating the Internet as a government regulated public utility for the first time in history. Those pushing hardest for the new rules were Silicon Valley monopolies like Google and leftist globalists like George Soros.

Google in fact visited the White House more than 427 times during the Obama years. Leftist foundations like Soros' Open Society and the Ford Foundation spent almost $200 million pushing for the rule change.

Now we know why. In less than two years big tech and their liberal allies have taken total control of our information and communications platforms. They have used their power to flatten competitors, ban speech, censor content, routinely violate our privacy, and silence dissenting voices.

While Obama's goal clearly benefited radical progressives, leftist political candidates, and his Silicon Valley corporate cronies it destroyed the free and open Internet by establishing them as our information gatekeepers.

I strongly encourage the FCC to oppose efforts by the TechLeft and liberal globalists to take over our Internet. Please roll back President Obama's disastrous rules immediately. The future of a free and open Internet is at stake.		317603TRUE
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16In 2015, wealthy leftist billionaires and powerful Silicon Valley monopolies took the internet out of the hands of the people and placed it firmly under the thumb of the federal the government, monopolies like Google and global billionaires like George Soros. Not surprisingly, today ObamaÕs new Internet gatekeepers are censoring our viewpoints, banning our online activities and silencing dissenting voices. As Google Chairman Eric Schmidt admitted, ÒWeÕre not arguing for censorship, weÕre arguing just take it off the page...make it harder to find."

It took only two years and a green light from Obama for companies like Google and Facebook and their liberal allies like George Soros to take total control of the dominant information and communications platform in the world today.

We simply canÕt afford to let ObamaÕs disastrous rules stand. The FCC must stand up for a truly free and open Internet by immediately rolling back his cynical and self-serving Internet takeover. The future of a free and open Internet is at stake.		293295TRUE
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14The Open Internet rules (net neutrality) are extremely important to me. I don't want the ISP to have the power to block websites, slow them down, give some sites advantage on others, or split the internet into fast lanes for companies that pay and slow lanes for the rest. Don't allow the Trump administration control the media streaming and then make only his NEWS On July 12, we should show the world how we Fight for The Future. I hope all media outlets join us. Thank you234460FALSE
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12On July 12 is the Protect Net Neutrality Day of Action! This would be the day to protect our freedom of internet and Fight to escape the control of our life by the ISPs - the corporations we all despise. Do not let them get away with this, fight For Our Future as if our life depend on it!232710FALSE
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13Don't kill net neutrality. We deserve a free and open Internet with strong Title II rules. This will ensure that the flow of data is determined by the interests of Internet users225264FALSE
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15The Open Internet rules (net neutrality) are extremely important to me. I don't want the ISP to have the power to block websites, slow them down, give some sites advantage on others, or split the internet into fast lanes for companies that pay and slow lanes for the rest. The internet is our access to knowledge and bridge between cultures and people. Don't let outside forces try to control / restrict it.216338FALSE
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18Cable and phone companies provide access to the internet. They're telecommunications carriers. They do not (and should not) have the right to censor or slow down my speech and my access to online content. When I use my broadband service, I decide who I communicate with and what information I transmit. I want the FCC to retain the ability to stop my internet service provider from interfering with my communications choices. The courts have already told the FCC that to do this, ISPs must remain under Title II.

I'm urging FCC Chairman Ajit Pai to preserve real Net Neutrality rules and keep Title II in place for broadband internet access. It's not just protecting consumers, it's protecting small businesses and it's protecting equality‰ÛÓminority communities would suffer a disproportionate impact from the loss of Net Neutrality.		169988FALSE
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19As an Internet user, I'm asking the FCC to protect the net neutrality protections currently in place.

The FCC should throw out Chairman Ajit Pai's proposal to give the ISP monopolies like Comcast, AT&T, and Verizon the authority to create Internet fast lanes, stripping Internet users of the meaningful access and privacy protections we fought for and just recently won.

I'm concerned about ISPs being allowed to discriminate against certain types of data or websites, because users will have fewer options and a less diverse Internet. Thankfully, the current net neutrality rules ensure that Internet providers can't slow or block our ability to see certain websites or create Internet "fast lanes" by charging websites and online service money to reach customers faster. That's exactly the right balance to ensure the Internet remains a level playing field that benefits small businesses and Internet users as well as larger players. Pai's proposed repeal of the rules would transform ISPs into Internet gatekeepers with an effective veto right on innovation and expression. That's not the kind of Internet we want to pass on to future generations of technology users.

I urge you to keep Title II net neutrality in place, and safeguard Internet users like me.

Sincerely,
[name]		166295FALSE
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32Title II is a Depression-era regulatory framework designed for a telephone monopoly that no longer exists. It was wrong to apply it to the Internet and the FCC should repeal it and go back to the free-market approach that worked so well.127511TRUE
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20Please save the internet from the corporations. Tom Wheeler was right. Let the new neutrality stand.109425FALSE
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21Dear Ladies and Gentlemen. Net neutrality is a serious topic. Please do not implement weakend regulations. TO keep it short and save my breath: All possible negative scenarios were discussed in the past. More than that: some of them were getting reality and thus the discussion started back in 2010/ So please keep it as it is and do something useful.109419FALSE
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22make sure net neutrality does not dissapear. It is the only thing saving the internet at this moment. If it is removed many webservices will be at risk.109160FALSE
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23We should not leave the ability for small companies to compete with large online businesses up to the whims of our internet providers. It is out responsibility to defend our right to free market competition. IF THENEWSEARCHENGINE is better than Google, Google's wealth should not strike down the new engine if our internet providers choose not to be benevolent. Save net neutrality.109122FALSE
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24Please Save Net Neutrality and Title ll rules. As a freelance translator I rely on internet spped to do my work and corporations would interfere with my searches if given the change. Do the right thing and keep the needed regulations. Thank you.108960FALSE
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25Save net neutrality! I am worried that the protections that are in place will be weakened if we change the way they are enforced. I do not support losing any protections, and I do not trust big companies to look out for my best interests. That's YOUR JOB!108861FALSE
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26We need net neutralityto continue. A free and open internet is the single greatest technology of our time, and control should not be at the mercy of corporations.108771FALSE
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27Allowing broadband providers to throttle their service is unfair business practive. Weakening protections for consumers for the sake of big business is foolish and a countrer to the FCC's mandate. This proposal clearly gets rid of net neutrality. I am opposed to this. Save net neutrality and protect consumers.108502FALSE
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28Leave the net neutrality alone. Internet speed should not be for sale. There is nothing wrong with out current system save for the greedy corporations who wish to turn the internet into their own pay-to-play and a government willing to let them do it. You serve the American people not just Verizon, AT&T, etc. IF you think the current protests are bad, try touching new neutrality. I will never understand why a nation who has come so far is hell bent on going back to the 18th century. No other modern nation is so mesmorized by money that it jeopardizes the well-being of its citizens. Is this how we MAGA?108319FALSE
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33Obama's Net Neutrality order was the corrupt result of a corrupt process controlled by Silicon Valley special interests. It gives some of the biggest companies in the world a free ride at the expense of consumers and should be immediately repealed!105586TRUE
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29The FCC should ensure a fair and open Internet for all by opposing efforts to undermine net neutrality.

The FCC should throw out Chairman Ajit Pai’s proposal to give the ISP monopolies like Verizon, Comcast, and AT&T free rein to create Internet fast lanes, stripping users of the vital access and privacy rules we worked for and so recently won.

aside from all that prewritten stuff you've already seen a million times...

i desperately want the internet to be open and free regardless of content, cable companies are getting stronger and stronger and ruining other smaller businesses and it's fairly disgusting how they think they can do whatever they want.

Thank you for keeping Title II net neutrality rules in place to protect Internet users like me.

fuck cable companies, I would like to personally meet every CEO of the cable companies and spit in their fucking pig faces for just being horrible subhumans not only to their clients with shitty service and unfair business practices but to everyone who enjoys the internet, constantly trying to undermine the one good service their disgusting greasy hotdog fingers haven't exploited to death		102172FALSE
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34Rapacious Silicon Valley monopolies like Amazon, Twitter and Netflix are now openly partnering with neo-Marxists like Free Press and Fight for the Future to launch phony astroturf campaigns to prevent the rollback of President Obama’s 2015 internet takeover.

What frightens Americans isn’t the rollback of already outdated rules aimed at Silicon Valley’s competitors, but rather the complete takeover of the internet by this same handful of leftist companies and their radical leftist allies.

These companies are not only censoring our viewpoints, blocking users and competitors online, prioritizing their own services, and destroying our online privacy, they are now even using their unrivaled corporate influence and greed to destroy our news media and free expression.

It’s time to rollback Obama’s disastrous rules designed only to give Silicon Valley free reign over our internet and bolster their monopoly gatekeeper status.

If any business sector in America today needs rules, it's Silicon Valley’s gluttonous monopolies that are destroying our internet. Please rollback Obama’s government takeover of the internet before our free and open internet becomes Amazon, Facebook and Google’s private property.		100800TRUE
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30Don't kill net neutrality. We deserve a free and open Internet - one where the flow of data is determined by the interests of Internet users96814FALSE
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31The Title II order created a gaping gap in privacy protections by taking the best cop, the FTC, off the beat. That is reason enough to support Chairman Pai's proposal to restore Internet freedom. Restore privacy by repealing Net Neutrality.92886TRUE
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53The free-market Internet was an incredible engine of economic growth, innovation, and job creation since the 1990s and has already been substantially slowed by the 2015 Net Neutrality rules. The slowdown in investment is destroying jobs and risks a big future tax hike to make up for lost private investment. Save American jobs by repealing Net Neutrality.83079TRUE
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54Net Neutrality is not negotiable. It‰Ûªs essential to everything we need in our society and democracy ‰ÛÓ from educational and economic opportunities to political organizing and dissent.

Millions of people fought for over a decade to secure lasting Net Neutrality protections. We will not accept anything less. We urge you to reject any attacks on real Net Neutrality.

81140FALSE
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57I support Strong Net Neutrality backed by Title II oversight of ISP.64423FALSE
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55The FCC's Net Neutrality rules were written in the Obama White House by political staff and Tech Industry special interests who overruled the FCC's own experts. The FCC's own chief economist Tim Brennan called the rules "an economics-free zone." They should be repealed.62637TRUE
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56A free and open internet is critical for Americans to connect with their friends and family, exercise their freedom of speech, and create innovative new businesses. In 2015, the FCC established strong net neutrality rules to protect the free and open internet Americans depend on. Please reject any plan from Trump or his FCC Chair to roll back net neutrality rules and open the door to a corporate controlled internet.58709FALSE
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35The FCC's job is to stand up for consumers, not big cable companies. To do that, the FCC must keep in place the current rules that protect net neutrality and the free and open internet. Without the current rules, cable companies can tell internet users like me what I can or cannot access on the internet. Cable companies cannot be trusted to protect the free and open internet - keep the current open internet rules in place!
Net neutrality also protects small businesses		20899FALSE
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36Etsy Shop https://www.etsy.com/shop/brrybnds\n\nChairman Pai\xe2\x80\x99s proposed plan to repeal net neutrality protections would put a huge burden on microbusinesses like mine.\n\nAs an Etsy seller, net neutrality is essential to the success of my business and my ability to care for myself and my family. The FCC needs to ensure equal opportunities for microbusinesses to compete with larger and more established brands by upholding net neutrality protections.\n\nEtsy has opened the door for me and 1.8 million other sellers to turn our passion into a business by connecting us to a global market of buyers. For 32% of creative entrepreneurs on the platform, our creative business is our sole occupation. A decrease in sales in the internet slow lane or higher cost to participate in Chairman Pai\xe2\x80\x99s pay-to-play environment would create significant obstacles for me and other Etsy sellers to care for ourselves and our families.\n\nMoreover, 87% of Etsy sellers in the U.S. are women, and most run their microbusinesses out of their homes. By rolling back the bright line rules that ensure net neutrality, Chairman Pai is not only taking away our livelihood, he is also putting up barriers to entrepreneurship for a whole cohort of Americans.\n\nMy business growth depends on equal access to consumers. Any rule that allows broadband providers to negotiate special deals with some companies would undermine my ability to compete online.\n\nWe need a free and open internet that works for everyone, not just telecom companies that stand to benefit from the FCC\xe2\x80\x99s proposed rules.\n\nI'm sending this to the FCC's open proceeding and to my members of Congress. Please publicly support the FCC's existing net neutrality rules based on Title II and microbusinesses like mine.\n\nThank you!\r\nAmardeep Singh18923FALSE
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37I was outraged by the Obama/Wheeler FCC's decision to reclassify the Internet as a regulated "public utility" under a Depression-era law written for the old Ma Bell telephone monopoly.

Government utility regulation of the Internet risks devastating private investment, undermining competition, and stalling innovation. It also puts consumers at serious risk of being hit with a new "broadband tax" to cover the lack of private sector investment due to these regulations.

The liberal extremist groups that ginned up fake support for reclassification include the group Free Press, which was cited 62 times in the Title II order.

Free Press was founded by ultraliberal college professor Robert McChesney who has admitted: "At the moment, the battle over network neutrality is not to completely eliminate the telephone and cable companies. We are not at that point yet. But the ultimate goal is to get rid of the media capitalists in the phone and cable companies and to divest them from control."

Clearly, these extremists groups are openly hostile to America's free-market economy.

The Trump/Pai FCC is right to revisit this issue. I urge you to stand up to the radical extremists who took over the FCC under Obama and protect our free-market Internet by rescinding the Title II order.
13744TRUE
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38Net neutrality guarantees a free and open internet. Without it, internet service providers could block or censor websites, or create ÒfastÓ and ÒslowÓ lanes. ISPs can't be allowed to abuse their position, potentially hurting businesses and consumers across the country, and privileging their own content over competitors. Revoking net neutrality by changing the Title II classification of internet access would be bad for people, bad for competition and entrepreneurship, and it's bad for the internet. I fully support keeping the current Title II classification of internet access and keeping the internet free and open.12230FALSE
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39Dear Express Restoring Internet Freedom,

I heard you on the Hugh Hewitt show and agree with your stance on a free internet.

Regards,
J Cornelsen
217 Rush Rd
Hodges, SC 29653		11872FALSE
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40Dear Express Restoring Internet Freedom,

I heard you on the Hugh Hewitt show and agree with your stance on a free internet.

Regards,
J Cornelsen
217 Rush Rd
Hodges, SC 29653"		7557TRUE
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17In 2015, wealthy leftist billionaires and powerful Silicon Valley monopolies took the internet out of the hands of the people and placed it firmly under the thumb of the federal the government, monopolies like Google and global billionaires like George Soros. Not surprisingly, today Obama's new Internet gatekeepers are censoring our viewpoints, banning our online activities and silencing dissenting voices. As Google Chairman Eric Schmidt admitted, –We're not arguing for censorship, we're arguing just take it off the page...make it harder to find."

It took only two years and a green light from Obama for companies like Google and Facebook and their liberal allies like George Soros to take total control of the dominant information and communications platform in the world today.

We simply can't afford to let Obama's disastrous rules stand. The FCC must stand up for a truly free and open Internet by immediately rolling back his cynical and self-serving Internet takeover. The future of a free and open Internet is at stake		6646TRUE
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41I support Chairman Ajit Pai’s rollback of Obama’s internet takeover.

Title II regulation gives too much power to the government over the future of the internet.

It has harmed innovation and investment. It also deters competition. Internet regulation is also a threat to free speech.

Markets and consumers should regulate the Internet’s future, not government.		5609TRUE
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42Hello, I'm [name]. Net neutrality is shit because without it our ISPs will spy on us!5175FALSE
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43Dear FCC Chairman Ajit Pai,

I support the existing Net Neutrality rules, which classify internet service providers under the Title II provision of the Telecommunications Act. Please DO NOT roll back these regulations.

Sincerely,
Phylys Andryunin		5068FALSE
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44Replacing light-touch with heavy-handed regulation that grants the FCC the authority to regulate Internet conduct will thwart innovation and slow the deployment of next-generation high speed broadband networks.

The FCC offered little opportunity for the public to comment specifically on the reclassification to Title II, so revisiting the rule is important.

Obama's Internet takeover should be repealed immediately!
3854TRUE
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45Obama's Internet takeover raises concerns about the future of internet freedom.

Opting to regulate the internet as a common carrtier under Title II of the Telecommunications Act was a massive departure from the 20 years of light-touch regulation that saw innovation and investment in the Internet flourish.

The Title II reclassification should be repealed: it is bad for consumers, bad for innovation, and bad for the economy.
3839TRUE
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46Title II allows bureaucrats in Washington to pick winners and losers on the web.

The internet is best regulated by light-touch FTC regulation and the market, not heavy-handed FCC rules.

I support Chairman Ajit Pai’s rollback of Obama’s Internet takeover.
3794TRUE
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47Title II regulation is burdensome and unnecessary.

It limits competition, and hurts innovation and investment.

Therefore, I support FCC Chairman Ajit Pai’s rollback of Obama’s Internet takeover.		3781TRUE
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48FCC preserve net neutrality and Title One3615FALSE
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49I support strong net neutrality backed by Title II oversight of ISPs.

I demand that the FCC keep the internet filed as a Title II communications service.

ISPs killing competition and damaging internet-based companies does happen, Ajit Pai. Just ask Google what happened to Google Wallet in 2013, or ask Netflix how their contract negotiations with Comcast went in 2013 and how their download speeds were during the negotiations.

I will not allow ISPs to censor what I want to see, kill the free market by harming internet-based companies, make me pay massive fees for the same speed that I have now, form into an oligopoly, and silence anyone online that either doesn't pay their fees or disagrees with their actions.

I will fight for strong Net Neutrality! Long live the Internet!		3578FALSE
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50In the last twenty years, our American society has become so intertwined and dependent on the use of the Internet, it is hard to fathom a world without being able to access our favorite newspapers and magazines, watch the most current and popular television shows, or even shop for essentially anything we desire with just the click of a button. The Internet is accessible to anyone at any place and at anytime for a typically low nominal fee or sometimes even free via WiFi hotspots. However, there is a small group of corporations that wants to have control over who gets access, the speed at which consumers get the Internet delivered to them, and what information they may view just to increase their revenue. While there is this small faction of corporations that have a vested interest in privatizing the Internet, I will argue that if the openness and of the Internet and our freedom access it is compromised, net neutrality, then consumers will bear the brunt of the cost, innovation will be suppressed, & the monopolization of the Internet will lead to corporate control of information. This is a call to arms for all of those people that use the Internet in their day-to-day lives. This is for the the college student who uses the Internet for researching, for the father overseas who uses Facebook to communicate with his family, for the business woman who needs to close a deal three thousand miles away via a video conference. These are just a few people that will be effected by the privatization of the Internet, and one of the first consequences of this will be an increase in cost of the Internet.

If net neutrality becomes obsolete, then the masses of consumers will be the first to pay. In the online magazine Ars Technica, Matthew Lasar states the Internet Service Providers (ISPs), such as AT&T and the cable companies, want to have "priority subscriber access" which is what they call a "value added" or an "enhanced delivery" service. However, this tiered service is just Orwellian terminology. ISPs could simply charge us more for access speeds and services we already enjoy. Those of us that can not afford these new data plans from these ISPs will be left in the dust when it comes to accessing the Internet. In the savetheInternet.com Coalition FAQ proposes that costs "will skyrocket to post and share video and audio clips, silencing bloggers and amplifying the voices of the big media companies." This is just another possible adverse consequence to losing the openness and freedom of the Internet. In the essay Free to Invest: The Economic Benefits to Preserving Net Neutrality, Inimai M. Chettiar and J. Scott Holladay outline the negative effects of this price discrimination. Chettiar & Holladay state that "There is a tradeoff between investment in content and investment in infrastructure. Price discrimination would increase incentives to invest in infrastructure, but reduce returns for investment in content." (24) By eliminating net neutrality, ISPs would be able to charge more to increase the infrastructure for their broadband connections, but fledgling business websites, bloggers, and those that make applications, the content side of the Internet, would lose revenue. In other words, we may have better access to the Internet, but there would be fewer content sites due to the consolidation of profits. In essence, net neutrality offers a reasonable alternative. However, if it is compromised, there will not only be a price differential, but it will stifle innovations from content providers.

Companies like Netflix and Pandora were born out of that innovation and thrive on the ability to utilize the openness of the Internet to gain ground in an exponentially growing technological world. In the article Time Warner Views Netflix as a Fading Star, Jeffery L. Bewkes, the chief executive of Time Warner, downplays the business model of Netflix by offering lower prices for their media content. Bewkes said, "this has been an era of experimentation, and I think it's coming to a close." While I agree with the idea that in recent years finding new avenues to access media were in an experimental stage, I disagree with the idea that businesses like Netflix might fall short. However, success is dependent on the preservation of net neutrality, which cable and phone companies oppose. They view businesses like Netflix as a threat. In her article AT&T, TW, Verizon Make Case Against Net Neutrality, Chloe Albanesius states that in a filing to the Federal Communications Commission: Time Warner claims "broadband providers must retain the flexibility to employ traffic management practices to protect their networks." So to squeeze out the competition, they are lobbying against net neutrality so they can have more control of the content available to consumers.

Net neutrality offers easy access to the wide variety of content and information that people can view at their leisure. This openness comes into jeopardy when corporate ISPs want to essentially have total control of the information. In Tim Wu's book The Master Switch, he states that "You cannot serve two masters, and the objectives of creating information are often at odds with those disseminating it." (305) In other words, this means that those who are creating the content, the websites and the bloggers, and those that have the capabilities to provide the service of the Internet, the cable and phone companies, have two conflicting points of view on how net neutrality should be handled. I agree that there is a discrepancy with the two entities involved, but I also believe that these two could work in conjunction to maximize the potential of the Internet with some regulation. In an interview with Brooke Gladstone of National Public Radio's On the Media, Tim Wu gives warning if we do not use a checks and balances system similar to our government, which he calls "the separations principle" that there could be problems. Wu states, "And I'm suggesting that if Americans don't pay attention, it won't be obvious at first but over time we will see that the content we receive is increasingly winnowed, filtered, chosen for us." If we do not take a stand for the advocation of net neutrality, then there could be a whole slew of issues regarding the giving and receiving of information that could arise for the everyday consumers of the Internet.

While there are those who are in support of net neutrality being overturned, the Internet Service Providers in particular, the majority of consumers should be in favor of maintaining an open Internet. If we do not take a stand for keeping net neutrality, the negative consequences could range anywhere from emptying our pocketbooks to stifling creativity and new business models. Even worse, free access to information would be sorely restricted. This just a few of reasons as to why we should stand up and vocalize our concerns to protect our freedom of the Internet, but there are more. Who knows? By keeping the Internet open, this opportunity may lead to the next great innovation, a new Google or Netflix. However, we may soon not have that opportunity if YOU, the FCC, do not act soon and do the right thing! It starts here and now.

PROTECT net neutrality.		3337FALSE
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51It is my understanding that the FCC Chairman intends to reverse net neutrality rules and put big Internet Service Providers in charge of the internet. I am firmly against this action, and believe that these ISPs will operate solely in their own interests and not in the interests of what is best for the American public. Broadband companies have been guilty of throttling internet traffic and squeezing customers with arbitrary data caps. They've been misleading consumers about the meaning of “unlimited” internet. Strong-arming cities to prevent them from getting high-speed internet. Blocking real competition at all costs Consumers. I am against the chairman's plan to reverse the net neutrality rules. I believe doing so will destroy vital innovation, competition, and future communication growth.3198FALSE
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52I am writing today to encourage you to work together and move quickly on a permanent legislative fix to preserve an open internet that is transparent and free from blocking, censorship and discriminatory throttling. I believe only legislation can ensure we have permanent, enforceable open internet rules that apply equally to everyone and won’t change depending on which party is in power or who is running the FCC.

The FCC’s move to make sure the internet isn’t subject to heavy-handed laws created for the rotary phone is the right first step, but only legislation can put this issue beyond politics and ensure that vital consumer protections are stable and secure.

After almost two decades of the FCC and the courts arguing this issue—it’s time for Congress to provide permanent and strong open internet protections to consumers and the entire internet community.
2979TRUE
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58Keep net neutrality2920FALSE
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