To the members of Congress:
Recognizing that a free and open Internet is essential to the future of the American economy, entrepreneurship, and democracy, I strongly encourage you to support the FCC in its proposal to regulate Internet Service Providers (ISPs) through Title II of the Communications Act of 1934.
In the past two decades, the growth of the Internet has dramatically improved life in the United States and the world. Thousands, if not millions, of new jobs have grown from the Internet economy. Education, journalism, and democracy have been revolutionized by the massive amounts of information available in a mere instant through the Internet. The UN even declared Internet access a basic human right in 2011.
Current conditions in Internet regulation are not suitable for the continuing prosperity of Internet freedom. They constrain competition and restrict free communication between all parties.
Many ISPs have announced plans to institute “Internet fast lanes,” more accurately described as paid prioritization. What this idea means is that large companies would be able to pay the ISPs for fast access to consumers. While this may sound wonderful to some, it greatly limits competition. New startups cannot afford to pay these higher rates to ISPs, so they could not compete with large corporations who paid for priority access. If paid prioritization had been in place years ago, there likely would have never been the success of Google, Facebook, Netflix, or YouTube.
Additionally, the ISP marketplace is barely competitive, and that’s putting it nicely. If you want the type of broadband access that you need to stream video and use the modern Internet, you speeds of 20 megabits per second at minimum. In most markets, consumers have only one choice for a provider at these speeds, generally the cable companies like Comcast and Time Warner. Just as today you can use the telephone wires into your home to obtain service from a variety of providers, you should be able to choose from a selection of cable providers. That way, numerous providers can compete for customers on the open market, instead of the monopolies that many cable TV and Internet providers have today.
Finally, I would like you to open a discussion with your colleagues in the House, the Senate, and the state legislatures on removing the bans on Internet services provided by municipalities. Municipally-sponsored broadband services have often proven beneficial to consumers in the regions where they are permitted, but a large number of states have banned them due to the great influence of the telecommunications giants. The freedom for cities and towns to provide their own broadband service generally lowers prices and increases competition, making it in the best interest of consumers.
As a student who will be starting college in the fall pursuing a computer science degree, I recognize the great importance that a free and open Internet has to the future of America’s tech economy. But net neutrality is not an issue that just affects tech workers or computer geeks. Easily available access to a free and open Internet is something that affects all of us: young or old, Democrat or Republican, city dweller or rural farmer.
For these reasons, I sincerely hope that you will vote against any legislation that restricts the FCC’s ability to protect the Internet as a common carrier of all information. I also call upon you to take charge among your fellow legislators in encouraging competition between ISPs, in order to keep our Internet fast, affordable, and open.
I know the big companies like Comcast, Verizon, and Time Warner Cable have massive lobbying budgets and are trying to persuade you otherwise, but don’t give in to them. Do what’s right for the citizens of this great nation and keep the Internet open to all.
A concerned citizen,
Nathan Walker
Author’s note: I sent a slightly modified version of this letter today to all three of my representatives in Congress. I am releasing this letter into the public domain, so you can feel free to copy all or parts of it to send to your representatives as well. I strongly encourage you to do so, as net neutrality is a major, urgent issue. Let your voice be heard.