Congress can still save net neutrality

The FCC’s repeal of net neutrality officially kicked in on June 11th. Going forward, Internet providers like Comcast will legally be allowed to censor websites, block apps and services, and charge us extra fees to access online content. The Internet as we know it won’t suddenly end. But with each second that passes until net neutrality is restored, it will be slowly dying.

People are angry. And rightly so. We need to channel that anger productively and flood House lawmakers with calls and emails demanding that they use the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to overrule the FCC.

So take whatever corner of the Internet that you control — whether it’s a major platform or a personal instagram account — and harness its reach to pressure Congress. Here’s how:

1. Change your social media avatars and profile pics to help sound the alarm, there’s bunch of graphics in a shared folder here.
2. If you make videos, consider making a video about net neutrality, or use our simple video bumper to help spread the word.
3. Link back to BattleForTheNet.com whenever you can so people can easily contact their lawmakers.
4. If you run a website or blog, deploy our updated widget to let your users contact Congress without ever leaving your site. You can see a demo here. There are also banners and ads of various sizes you can use here.

Our elected officials in Congress can overrule the FCC and save net neutrality using the Congressional Review Act (CRA). But they’ll only do it if we make them. The CRA resolution passed the Senate 52-47 in a historic upset. But now we’re fighting an uphill battle to get the House of Representatives to do the same. It’s not going to be easy, but if the whole Internet comes together to fight, we can win. Here’s how:

In the House, we’ll need 218 lawmakers to sign on to a “discharge petition” in order to force a vote past leadership to the floor. That means we’ll need to convince all the Democrats and about 25 Republicans to support the CRA. The clock is ticking — if the CRA resolution doesn’t get a vote this year, it dies when the new Congress comes into session. We've done it before.

Here’s how we’ll do it this time:

• Flood them with calls and emails

  When millions of people call and email their representatives, Congress listens. That’s why we developed a widget that website owners can place on their site, giving their site’s users the opportunity to contact Congress. And we’ve created art assets that will allow individuals to spread the word on powerful social media platforms.

• In-district constituent pressure

  It’s important for lawmakers to see the people who support net neutrality. We’ll help schedule in-person events, protests, meetings, and canvassing to mobilize constituencies (like veterans) that move republicans.

• Mobilizing small businesses

  In Washington, money talks. So lawmakers listen to the small business owners in their districts because those business owners are vital to the local economy. We need to reach out to small business owners to ask them to sign our petition in support of net neutrality, then we hand-deliver this petition to our politicians.

Voters from across the political spectrum agree: they don't want their cable company to control what they see and do online. The FCC's reckless repeal of net neutrality has sparked an unprecedented backlash, as millions of Americans have contacted their lawmakers in protest. The numbers below represent actions taken through BattleForTheNet.com and its partners. Many more have taken action on other sites or contacted their lawmakers directly.

To help convince the House, contact congress now and add to these numbers.

We’re keeping track of who supports net neutrality … and who doesn’t. Now you can, too. Below you'll find a link to a list of your state's Senators and Representatives. The ones in green have signed a discharge petition in support of net neutrality, so let them know you appreciate their support. The ones in red need to be convinced, so let them know how important this issue is to you.

We already won in the Senate. Now we must win in the House. So please tweet and call your House Representatives.

The FCC killed net neutrality. But they didn’t act alone. Their accomplices are Team Cable, the members of Congress sitting idly by allowing the free and open Internet to be stolen from us. We can’t let them get away with it. So we made WANTED posters for every rep that’s helping the FCC get away with murder. Let’s make sure they have nowhere to hide — put these up everywhere online: as your profile image, as a post, on your site, everywhere.

Want to make your voice heard? Check out the map below to find a protest or a meeting with a representative in your state. And if there are no events in your area, consider organizing one!

View Full Map

Net neutrality is the principle that everyone should have access to websites and apps, preventing Internet providers like Comcast & Verizon from creating “fast lanes,” censoring content, throttling traffic and even outright blocking access to their competitor's products. This principle has guided the world wide web from the beginning, and has been protected by federal policy under Republican AND Democrat leadership since the early 2000s.

Unfortunately, Internet providers ignored this policy and even actively sued the federal government to destroy net neutrality protections … and they won. Their anti-consumer practices finally convinced the FCC to issue the Open Internet Order as a last resort in 2015. But under new leadership, the FCC has removed these regulations, threatening to end the web as we know it.

Want to learn more? Watch these videos!

Members of Team Internet support free speech and free markets online through meaningful, enforceable net neutrality laws. We are millions of everyday Americans from across the political spectrum. We are thousands of small business owners. We are large corporations and powerful non-profits. Check out the list below to see who’s taken action to save net neutrality:

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Team Cable wants to end net neutrality so they can control and tax the Internet. Team Cable lies about the effects of net neutrality on the free market and ignores blatant corruption in the regulatory process. If they get their way, we will all pay more money for worse Internet access. Independent voices will be stifled. And innovative start-ups will struggle to compete in the online marketplace.