“The Internet is essential to life in the 21st century,” write Reps. Anna Eshoo and Darrell Issa, two U.S. House representatives from California — and from opposite sides of the aisle — who have found common ground on the need to protect Internet freedom.

The two penned an Op-Ed for Politico in which they highlight their support for the Declaration of Internet Freedom. “The way we do business, communicate and live our lives," Eshoo and Issa write, "now largely depends on being able to get online. Ensuring the freedom to access and use the Internet has become a bipartisan priority.”

Earlier this year, Reps. Eshoo and Issa joined more than 2,000 organizations and businesses and 75,000 activists in signing the Declaration, a set of five principles outlining a proactive vision for protecting the free and open Internet. Thanks to the Internet, they write, “people around the world have instant access to vital information, can hold their governments accountable and create better lives for themselves and their families.”

We’re in a hyper-partisan era in American politics. Reps. Eshoo and Issa deserve congratulations for rising above the fray and joining together to support the open Internet — an engine that “strengthens our economy and our democracy.”

Now it’s time to urge President Obama and Gov. Mitt Romney to get on board and sign the Declaration.

Original photo by Flickr user Rep. Darrell Issa