Our Chance to Save Net Neutrality

The fight isn’t over

From out here in the Bay Area fog, it feels pretty much impossible to keep track of all the meshuggaas going on in the nation’s capital these days. But there’s something happening in DC this week that has direct bearing on our lives, especially here in the tech capital of the world.

The US Senate —you know, the place where they think filibusters are cool — is grasping the keys to the internet, holding the power to protect fairness online. Soon, members will vote on whether to overturn the Federal Communications Commission’s recent repeal of net neutrality as part of the Congressional Review Act.

Let us wonk out for a second. You’ve probably read that the FCC recently voted to give internet service providers an amazing—and alarming—amount of control over our online lives by repealing net-neutrality rules that were put in place in 2015. It’s fair to say that free speech, competition and innovation are all at risk if they succeed in ending net-neutrality rules, which ensured that content should be treated equally online.

But we’ve got a secret weapon in this fight, a little thing called checks and balances. Congress can tell the FCC to go to the naughty corner and reverse its vote. The first step to making this happen will be a vote next week on a “motion of disapproval.”

This is where you come in.

All across the web this week, you’ll be seeing a lot of efforts to raise awareness about the importance of net neutrality. Mozilla is joining that action, and you can chime in here. The most impactful thing that anyone can do is call their representatives. Members of Congress pay attention when you take the time to ring.

We’re pitching in by sharing on Twitter information on six big parts of all our lives that will suck if net neutrality goes away. Have a look, and if you agree with us that the open and free web is worth protecting, take a moment to call Congress and tell them what’s on your mind.