This past Saturday Senator Elizabeth Warren visited Cape Ann, where OBS is headquartered, for an inspiring town hall with 800 citizens. OBS president Laura Fillmore was the first to ask a question of the Senator, and, fittingly, the internet pioneer asked about the FCC’s December 14 decision to eliminate Net Neutrality, basically turning the free and open internet over to private communication companies like Verizon and Comcast to control and profit from.
Senator Warren responded by encouraging small businesses like OBS and citizens alike to immediately begin lobbying ALL congresspeople about the importance of keeping the internet free and open. She encouraged us to use our skills, our creativity, and our internet know-how to turn this around. Although the FCC has already voted, the Congress has 60 days to review this FCC vote, and if we make our case effectively, Congress may be convinced to overturn this disastrous and unjust usurpation of our right to communicate freely.
While such a sweeping initiative — to lobby all congresspeople — may seem daunting, today’s free and open internet makes it a lot easier to communicate with our public servants. So let’s use it while we still can! Click here to visit an excellent website that provides contact information (phone and email), along with suggested scripts if you need them, for communicating with the Congress about this crucial issue.
OBS president Laura Fillmore, Senator Elizabeth Warren, and OBS project manager Marina Evans
Reference links:
- Battle for the Net: https://www.battleforthenet.com/
- Gloucester Daily Times article on Senator Warren’s visit: http://www.gloucestertimes.com/news/local_news/warren-tells-constituents-to-stay-engaged-on-issues/article_1f6698cf-5cd8-5408-9123-8c018adda835.html