Today on behalf of the SavetheInternet.com Coalition I delivered petition signatures of Rhode Island citizens supporting Net Neutrality to Senator Lincoln Chafee's office in downtown Providence. Goto www.SavetheInternet.com for more information to get involved.
I also had a guest speaker. George Loftus, Executive Director of OSHEAN.
www.oshean.org
The OSHEAN consortium is devoted to creating a stable, economical high-speed network for the use of its members and is committed to providing services that enhance the productive use of this network. OSHEAN is dedicated to achieving its vision of providing Rhode Island with the most capable communications network infrastructure for the support of research, education and public service of any state in the Union.
here is the speech I put together for today's event:
We're here today to voice opposition to the bill being proposed by senator ted stevens. The legislation I'm referring to would endanger the freedom of the individual to enjoy and use the net, like they do today.
It would impose a multi-tier pricing and usage scheme that would make powerful companies the few voices effectively heard on the web. They could, as you can imagine, manipulate ideas and opinions that would suit thier particular bottom-lines and agendas.
The average user will, potentially, no longer have the ability to express views, ideas, or experiences with anywhere near the ability or exposure that they do now. I'd like to relay my personal experience with the internet and how this bill, if passed, would affect me :
I have been using the internet to communicate and share information with people all over the world since 1993. I have been a member of Electronic Frontier Foundation now for a few years. The EFF exists as a first line of defense when the freedoms of our new networked society are under attack.
I also utilize photo sharing and several personal blog websites that are run by smaller companies. These companies can ,eventually, get bought out by larger ones, but the innovation made by these startups would probably cease to exist with a less neutral form of today's internet.
Due to my mother's career as a public librarian, and combined with my technological expertise I have always been aware of new legislations that effect internet communications and technological advances.
When these legislations affect the freedom of expression and free flowing of ideas across our internet, I can't help but get involved or voice my opinion.
The internet is already free, but I feel that we also need legislation to back a "First Amendment of the Internet" that protects us down the road. There should be a Broadband policy that says as much. Currently the United States is the only industrialized nation that does not have a policy for broadband penetration.
We delivered a petition signed by thousands of Rhode Island state voters to Senator Lincoln Chafee.
We wish to remind him that the people have a voice and will be heard
We are not alone, even now across this, our United States, 29 other Senators are receiving similar pleas from their own constituents.
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