Brilliant minds think alike

Hope you noticed my SAVE THE INTERNET banner to the right. Intrigued? Click the banner to learn more.

Anyway, I surfed over to REMHQ.com, and my boys are just as concerned:

R.E.M. has joined a growing coalition of Artists and Musicians for Internet Freedom who have signed the SavetheInternet.com Coalition’s petition to Congress. The petition is being circulated in response to a large telecommunications bill Congress will soon vote on, one part of which would gut Network Neutrality — the Internet’s First Amendment and the key to Internet freedom.

Net Neutrality is the long-held principle that all online speech is treated equally. It levels the Internet playing field, ensuring that small music blogs and independent news sites open just as easily on your computer as large corporate sites. It allows every voice to be heard by thousands, even millions, of people (Click here to read an article by Robert Reich in American Prospect for background).

This freedom is currently under threat. The nation’s largest phone and cable companies are spending millions pressuring Congress to let them decide which Web sites work best on your computer based on which corporations pay them the most! If Congress caves, consumer choice will be limited, the free flow of information will be choked off, and the free and open Internet will become a private toll road managed by these large companies.

With a vote in Congress coming soon, your support in favor of Net Neutrality is crucial. Please take a minute to watch this enlightening video, which clearly explains the Net Neutrality issue. Then, join over 650,000 others in fighting back.

Please urge Congress to preserve a free and open Internet. Call or email your Congressman to vote for enforceable network neutrality and keep tollbooths, gatekeepers, and discrimination off the Internet.

If you feel strongly about this issue or want to find out more, click the banner to see what you can do.

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