Dear FCC Commissioners,

Media Alliance, which has been advocating for a democratic and accessible media system since 1976, urges you to support and implement Chairman Genachowski’s call for a neutral Internet future. The Internet has been a key driver in innovation, free speech and civic participation in the United States and we must maintain an even playing field for all.

It has been claimed that network neutrality would place the government in the position of becoming the “traffic cop” of the web. The government’s role and that of the FCC is to establish the rules of the road - preventing speeding cars from crashing through intersections, making opposing traffic observe red and green lights and safeguarding the rights of Internet pedestrians to get from one side of the street to the other. Without rules to prevent online chaos, Internet users may have to confront inconsistent, random and discriminatory actions by service providers. With such a vital communications channel, we can’t afford a chaotic landscape.

In support of net neutrality, millions of Americans have signed petitions, organized online and lobbied their congressional representatives. They know net neutrality is important and have used the Internet to protect the Internet. This has happened in an environment of on-going political engagement and civic participation enabled by online organizing, which played such a vital role in the last Presidential election. Our democracy depends on the Internet and everyone’s ability to participate.

We have seen troubling incidents where service providers have blocked web sites, content, services and applications. We have seen abuses of Internet user privacy. We have heard threats to implement “deep packet inspection” technology and tiered pricing schemes that would create different classes of users in pay-to-play schemes. What more do we need to observe?

It is obvious to us, and many other organizations and individuals, that the very characteristics of the Internet that have fueled its growth, namely the openness and ubiquity of the online world, may be compromised without clear and decisive action by those responsible for safeguarding the integrity of the communications system.

Please do not hesitate to protect the free flow of information on the Internet. The time has come to act on network neutrality.

Media Alliance
1904 Franklin Street, Suite 500
Oakland CA 94612
http://www.media-alliance.org

Media Alliance is a media resource and advocacy center for media workers, non-profit organizations, and social justice activists. Our mission is excellence, ethics, diversity, and accountability in all aspects of the media in the interests of peace, justice, and social responsibility.