When South Carolina resident Brett Bursey read an editorial in the Greenville News urging the FCC to dismiss Net Neutrality rules, he penned a letter-to-the-editor in support of an open Internet.

His letter reads:

A recent editorial, "Web doesn't need 'neutrality','" reads like talking points from the telecommunications industries' lobbyists. The phone and cable companies that provide Internet connections are pulling out all the stops against Net neutrality. These companies have spent more than $50 million to deploy an army of more than 500 lobbyists in Washington and contributed over $300,000 to S.C. state House candidates in the past two years.

The companies want to be Internet gatekeepers, deciding which Web sites go fast or slow and which won't load at all. Without Net neutrality, the Internet will look more like cable TV. Internet providers will decide which channels, content and applications are available.

Net Neutrality is the beginning of a larger conversation on the future of the Internet. The larger goal is affordable and open Internet access for everyone, everywhere. Net neutrality recognizes that the Internet is an essential infrastructure for economic, social and political activity and not just a private commodity to be controlled by corporations.

At its core, this fight is about giving citizens the information and tools they need to hold their leaders accountable and shape the decisions affecting their lives. Net neutrality ensures the freedom of speech and creativity that have made the Internet such a powerful tool for democracy and innovation.

We are lucky here in South Carolina to have one of the five Federal Communications Commissioners from our home state. These Commissioners, together with our members of Congress, will have tremendous influence over the future of the Internet.

We applaud Commissioner Mignon Clyburn who spoke in support of the FCC writing new rules on Net neutrality to protect the open Internet.
The FCC should move forward and protect net neutrality and our congressional delegation should back them up by cosponsoring the Internet Freedom Preservation Act of 2009 (HR 3458).