Help California Protect Net Neutrality

Sometimes, you don’t know what you have until it’s gone. In December 2017, the FCC voted in favor of repealing net neutrality rules. With the loss of federal protection for the Internet, it’s up to each state to keep the Internet open and free.

A new bill offers California the opportunity to do just this for its citizens. But it needs your support to make it happen. Take action by clicking this link. Tell California’s senators to stand up for net neutrality.

Now or Never

Before net neutrality’s repeal, many Internet users already felt like they were at the mercy of big Internet service providers (ISP) like Comcast and Verizon. And if you were among this crowd, then you definitely won’t like what’s coming next. With net neutrality being rolled back, these companies don’t have to treat everything online equally.

They can slow down your connection to certain sites, charge a premium fee for categories, and even outright restrict access to other parts of the Internet. If nothing is done to thwart this, the Internet will resemble cable television, along with all of its convoluted pricing structures, sooner than you think.

But while federal protections for the Internet have failed, states can still decide their own relationship with the Internet. ISPs that get state funding or have access to infrastructures funded by taxpayers should have to adhere to net neutrality standards, so let’s make them do just that.

Time to Take Action

State Senator Scott Wiener introduced S.B. 822 during the first meeting that California legislature had in 2018. And while this bill is for California, it influences much more than just San Francisco, Los Angeles, or San Diego.

This bill would help make the most extensive provisions to protect net neutrality in the United States. It would set the standard for what other states should aspire to achieve for its citizens. And the truth is, it’s completely reasonable: if an ISP is using utility poles or receiving a state subsidy, they should have to listen to the citizens funding those initiatives with taxes.

If we stay silent on this matter, big ISPs would be more than happy to start charging us more for less than what we get today. It’s easy to take things for granted when you have them; however, it can be extremely difficult to get them back when they’re gone.

The Internet is part of all of our lives. Whether you’re a mobile app developer, lawyer, doctor, teacher, or any other profession, it has become a foundation of information that we all rely on. Let’s protect it. Click this link to tweet the senators right now.