How to Help Save the Internet in a Post-Net Neutrality World
In December 2017, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai delivered bad news for Netflix binge-watchers and other fans of the open Internet. The good old days of net neutrality were over.
But while the decision to end net neutrality was met with lawsuits and lots of yelling at the TV, the FCC vote was only the first step toward full repeal.
The FCC has since published the Restoring Internet Freedom Order in the Federal Register, which gave it 60 days to implement the rule.
The weird thing: FCC Chairman Pai still hasn't finalized net neutrality's repeal. The good folks at Ars Technica have some theories about why this might be.
Perhaps net neutrality's slow death gives us a little more time to save it before we're condemned to a lifetime of Twitter surcharges.
The people who could save it once and for all: Congress, the courts, and the states. And you.
How to help bring net neutrality back to life
Check out this article by the fine folks at Mashable about how to manage our new internet reality. They link to an active subreddit on net neutrality that you might want to subscribe to while it's still free. They also advise you to keep an eye out for bandwidth throttling, content blocking, or other internet sorcery.
It’s important to note that as long as companies are transparent about content blocking and throttling, and provide justification for doing so, they’re legally allowed to do it. That said, if you find yourself inexplicably charged $19.99 for accepting a Facebook friend request, now is the opportune time to raise hell.
Call your member of Congress to urge them to save net neutrality, using the Congressional Review Act, before the FCC finalizes repeal. You can reach them through the Capitol switchboard (202.224.3121) or via the Battle for the Net's awesome calling tool (Battle for the Net's scoreboard will show you exactly where your representative stands). You can also tweet at them with the hashtag #OneMoreVote.
Find an event or protest near you to show up for an open internet. Lots of these are scheduled for the next week.
Not all internet superheroes wear capes. Drop some change in the collection plates of groups fighting the good fight, like: Fight for the Future (and its online Break the Internet protest), the Free Press Action Fund and Defiant (and their #RIPInternet campaign), and the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Do you live in California? State legislators are trying to restore net neutrality, as Oregon's leaders just did. Find your California state legislator's number here and support their efforts to keep the Kardashians' entire clan - and yours - connected.
