FCC’s net neutrality plans sparks protests across America
Net neutrality advocates took to the streets in over a dozen cities across the U.S., part of a protest against a leaked “hybrid” proposal by the Federal Communications Commission to allow internet companies to charge more for faster service.
photo Anonymous9000 via Flickr
Organized by advocacy groups like Fight for the Future, Popular Resistance and Free Press, the protests were held outside of the White House in Washington, DC, as well as in cities such as New York, Boston, Chicago, and Las Vegas.
Under the FCC’s new “hybrid” proposal, currently being considered by Chairman Tom Wheeler, the plan would “separate broadband into two distinct services: a retail one, in which consumers would pay broadband providers for Internet access; and a back-end one, in which broadband providers serve as the conduit for websites to distribute content,” wrote Gautham Nagesh of the Wall Street Journal.
The demonstrations, dubbed “emergency protests” by Fight for the Future, stretched as far as Portland, where people demanded Title II reclassification – a move that would allow the government to classify telecom companies as common carries and prohibit them from making “any unjust or unreasonable discrimination in charges, practices, classifications, regulations, facilities, or services.”
At #portland city hall for the #netneutrality protest! We want Title 2! #InternetEmergency@fightfortheftr@EFF@FCC pic.twitter.com/wBbSf007jX — Better Vibes Decor (@BetterVibesDeco) November 7, 2014
Save the Internet! Net neutrality protest happening now at the White House http://t.co/TVzzNE3rkh (pic via @apblake) pic.twitter.com/OG4MPwBQLi — RT America (@RT_America) November 6, 2014
“What President Obama’s FCC chair is reportedly pushing is not a compromise, it’s a sham,” Evan Greer, campaign director for Fight for the Future, told the Guardian on Wednesday. “Nearly four million internet users submitted comments to the FCC against having fast and slow lanes on the internet, but this proposal explicitly opens the door for them. Worse, it’s based in overly complicated and untested legal theories that are likely to fail in court.”
From other protests:
huge turnout in the rain to fight @comcast-caused #internetemergency – 50 folks at least @CAP_Comcastpic.twitter.com/aRLxfcNnRH — Media Mobilizing (@mediamobilizing) November 7, 2014
Small, but rowdy group here in New York. #InternetEmergencypic.twitter.com/OgrdLu4Nwh — Dell Cameron (@dellcam) November 6, 2014
