Tumblr, Sonos among those backing another net neutrality day of action
It aims to encourage another Senator to support a repeal of the FCC’s decision.
A number of organizations and websites are planning an online day of action meant to garner more support for a Senate vote that would reverse the FCC's removal of net neutrality protections. The Senate is currently one vote away from overturning the FCC's decision and the day of action aims to convince one more Senator to vote in favor of protecting net neutrality. Taking place on February 27th, Operation: #OneMoreVote is already backed by companies like Tumblr, Etsy, Vimeo, Medium, Imgur, Sonos, Namecheap and DuckDuckGo.
Groups behind BattleForTheNet.com, which include Fight for the Future, Demand Progress and the Free Press Action Fund, are calling for the demonstration. They've backed similar events before such as last year's net neutrality Day of Action and 2012's online protest against SOPA. Groups participating in Operation: #OneMoreVote will display alerts on their websites encouraging visitors to call, email and tweet their Senators and Representatives, expressing their support for a repeal of the FCC's decision.
After the FCC enters its new regulations into the Federal Register, the Senate has 60 days to act. If the Senate can get that last vote, Fight for the Future, which announced the day of action on Medium today, says focus will then move to convincing Representatives to pass a similar measure -- 218 votes would be needed. Of course, if all of that is successful, President Trump could still veto the measure. But Fight for the Future seems optimistic that he won't. "The White House, which has criticized mergers and other actions by large telecom companies, has been noticeably quiet about the FCC repeal, which was unpopular with voters from across the political spectrum including 3 out of 4 Republicans, making it possible that if enough GOP members voted for the CRA, Trump will sign it," said the group.
Planning for Operation: #OneMoreVote has just gotten started, so we're sure to see more companies and organizations signing on before it takes place. "Net neutrality is NOT dead yet. And it's too important to stop now," said Fight for the Future. "This isn't just about how fast our videos load, it's about the future of the internet as a platform for free expression, economic innovation, and exchange of ideas. It's about the future of our democracy."
