The FCC votes on February 26th. They need to hear from you
today.
Internet freedom is at risk in Turkey, China, Russia and the
U.S.
"We now have a court order. We'll eradicate Twitter. I
don't care what the international community says. Everyone will witness the
power of the Turkish Republic," Prime Minister of Turkey, Tayyip
Erdogan. Turkey isn't alone. During the
"Green Revolution" in 2009, Iran implemented a widespread crackdown
on the Internet. China has censored information for years. And Russia made
Facebook take down content that was critical of Putin last year.
These are just a few examples of what can happen when
Government takes total control of the Internet. That's why I'm writing today. I
need your help to keep the Internet open and free. On November 10th, 2014, President Obama
called on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to re-classify the
Internet as a public utility. He proposed dusting off a law that's nearly 80
years old (and about unrelated technology) and using it to give the Federal
Government power to police the Internet.
I know many people do not love the big Internet providers
(count me as one of them) and just want to make sure that consumers are not
stuck with slow access speeds and bad service. That's a good goal. But the solution is not to get Government in
this space with expanded powers to police the Internet. Internet freedom is
just too precious to hand
Washington new regulatory powers over the Internet without
oversight.
You see, if President Obama gets his wish, instead of the
"light touch" approach that has allowed the Internet to flourish for
years, Government bureaucrats would be put in charge of a new heavy-handed regulatory
scheme. Worst of all, Americans do not
fully understand the implications of how far this could go because it's all happening
so fast. Instead of Congress having a public debate out in the open where the American
people can listen and Congress is held accountable, the Executive Branch is
rushing to pre-empt Congress and jam this new regulation through while the
American people are not really paying attention. (If this reminds you of Nancy
Pelosi's "We have to pass the bill to find out what's in it"
statement about ObamaCare a couple years ago, it should.)
Americans should be deeply concerned about the chilling
effect a Government controlled Internet could have on speech. Recent actions
taken by foreign governments should make every American nervous when thinking
about a Government controlled Internet.
That's because the Internet is not just a more efficient way of engaging
in commerce; it's the greatest threat to tyrannical Governments in the world
today. Autocrats like Putin do not want a free and open
Internet. They want a "small I" Internet that runs
more like
their own personal intranet that they can control.
America must remain a global leader for a free and open
Internet and continue to tell countries like Iran, Russia, and China
"No" on regulating the Internet access of their people, and their
right to free speech. Both Republicans
and Democrats agree that maintaining a free and open Internet is the goal. But
more Government intervention will not help us reach that outcome. It will restrict
the dynamism that has fueled the greatest revolution since Henry Ford invented
the Model T, and choke political speech.
I believe this truly is a slippery slope scenario where years in the
future, another Administration could use power over the Internet to censor
speech and intimidate political opponents. I know there will be those who try to dismiss
this concern out of hand...But after the way our Government has operated over
the last six years, does anyone really think we should just give
Washington control over something as precious as the
Internet? Do we really want the same type of people who
brought us the IRS scandal--where they targeted political opponents of the Administration--making
decisions about political speech online?
Should the same type of people
who were responsible for the utter failure of the Veterans Administration be in
a decision-making position on the future of the Internet? Can the same group of
"tech experts" responsible for the roll out of Healthcare.gov really
be entrusted with maintaining transparency and access online? It's up to us to preserve the Internet for
our kids and grand kids as the one of the greatest forces for freedom the
world has ever known. A Government-controlled Internet is
not the right choice.
The FCC votes on February 26th. They need to hear from you
today. Please, join me today in calling
on the Obama Administration and the FCC to keep the Internet open and
free. For Internet Freedom, Sen. Ben Sasse Republican--Nebraska P.S.
We don't have much time left to tell the FCC "NO" on taking over the Internet.
You need to make your voice heard today if you want to keep the Internet open
and free.
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