A number of years ago, I was co-producer of a miniseries for the A&E Network called Biography of the Millennium. With the help of viewers, historians and other experts we chose those who were deemed to be the most important and influential people of the thousand years that began in the year 1001 A.D. and ended in the year 2000. It was a fascinating mix of scientists, politicians, philosophers, kings and, yes, writers. But the person who came in as number one, the most important person of the millennium, was Johannes Gutenberg, inventor of the printing press in 1450.

Surprised? When you think about it, it makes sense. Nonetheless, we were stunned to realize that the accomplishments of the vast majority of our 100 greats of the millennium took place AFTER Gutenberg's invention. But really, that makes sense, too, for it was the printing press that increased the dissemination of information a thousand fold, that conveyed facts, opinions and theories to everyone from world leaders to anyone who could read, and which influenced, for good or ill, our millennium greats who put their ideas into print as well, sending their creations to travel all over the world and into history, an unending circle of genius and creativity.

Today, digital media is the greatest innovation in information and storytelling since the Gutenberg printing press and thus vital to the world and the members of the Writers Guild East. A free and open Internet presents infinite possibilities not only for we content creators but for a fully informed, inspired, and yes, entertained citizenry as well, offering a vast variety of options far beyond what is currently available on television, radio, and in movie theaters.

This is not without its growing pains, especially when it comes to regulation. It's not for nothing that most of what little we know about Johannes Gutenberg's life story comes from law suits, court papers and other documents that were filed throughout the rest of his career and beyond, as various parties squabbled over the rights to his printing press; who owned the patents, who really invented what and who owed what to whom.

We support net neutrality. Otherwise, it is almost certain that most of the content consumers view will be produced by a relative handful of major entities — just as it is now in television and film. It is critical that the potential of the Internet and other digital media — their diversity, accessibility, competitiveness and imagination — not be stifled by multinational corporate behemoths that would restrict access for their own commercial gain.

Contrary to the assertions of some of its opponents, an open Internet does not promote digital piracy. The WGAE strongly opposes piracy; our members lose big-time when their work is unlawfully copied and distributed; and we strongly support Senator Leahy's PROTECT IP Act. As AFL-CIO President Rich Trumka has said, the economic wellbeing of workers in the United States — jobs, income and benefits — turns more and more on protecting creativity and innovation.

However, as the Writers Guild East has consistently said, we do not think permitting major commercial entities to control the flow of data and to restrict access to certain programming is an appropriate or effective method of controlling piracy. As our executive director Lowell Peterson has noted, everyone opposes car theft but no one suggests that we permit powerful corporations to restrict access to the highways. Fighting piracy is an important task for law enforcement. Restricting content creators' access to the Internet will not solve the problem.