Net neutrality: Vote "thumbs up" on a video question for Sen. Barack Obama

[IndyOp]

From MoveOn ->

There's an issue at stake in 2008 that directly impacts every American who uses the Internet, yet no one has asked about it at any presidential forum: Net Neutrality—the First Amendment of the Internet. You can help change that right now!
Senator Barack Obama will answer questions on MTV Monday—and MTV has agreed to ask him whichever question has the highest ranking in the online video contest 10Questions.com by mid-Monday.1

MoveOn member Joe Niederberger, a small business owner from New Jersey, submitted a great question about Net Neutrality.

Can you vote "thumbs up" on Joe's question about Net Neutrality—so this important issue is finally addressed by a presidential candidate? Then, pass it to your friends! Click here to watch Joe's question and vote (after clicking, you have to scroll down to see it):

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=3109&id=11520-512597-_gq_5A&t=3

10Questions.com is an ongoing contest—so if you get this email late, don't worry. Your vote will help Joe's question be asked to other presidential candidates in other forums.

Net Neutrality is the principle that prevents your Internet provider from choosing what websites you can access on your computer. It was the law of the land until an unfortunate 2005 decision by the Bush-appointed FCC put it on the path to elimination.

Senator Obama and most other Democratic presidential candidates support Net Neutrality.2 Joe asks whether they will make it a priority during their first year in office to re-instate Net Neutrality into law—and whether they will pledge to only appoint FCC Commissioners who support open Internet principles like Net Neutrality. That's exactly the commitment we need from candidates.

Companies like AT&T, Verizon, and Comcast want to put tollbooths on the Internet and prioritize websites that pay them the most—fundamentally changing the Internet as we know it. They've been quite blatant about it. Here's what one top executive told the Washington Post:

"William L. Smith, chief technology officer for Atlanta-based BellSouth Corp., told reporters and analysts that an Internet service provider such as his firm should be able, for example, to charge Yahoo Inc. for the opportunity to have its search site load faster than that of Google Inc."3

If a multi-billion dollar company like Google may get outbid for the right to work properly on people's computers, imagine the fate of small businesses, nonprofit organizations, activist groups like MoveOn, bloggers, and other everyday people who use the Internet to communicate.

Can you vote "thumbs up" on Joe's question about Net Neutrality—so this important issue is finally addressed by a presidential candidate on national TV? Then, pass it to your friends! Click here to watch Joe's question and vote:
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=3109&id=11520-512597-_gq_5A&t=4

Thanks for all you do as we fight to protect the Internet.

–Adam Green, MoveOn.org Civic Action
Sunday, October 28th, 2007


Sources:

1. "MTV/MySpace To Ask Obama Top Question from 10Questions Monday," TechPresident.com, October 26, 2007
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=3110&id=11520-512597-_gq_5A&t=6

2. Senator Barack Obama on Net Neutrality:
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=2697&id=11520-512597-_gq_5A&t=7

Senator Joe Biden on Net Neutrality:
http://biden.senate.gov/newsroom/details.cfm?id=258264

Senator Hillary Clinton on Net Neutrality:
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=2696&id=11520-512597-_gq_5A&t=8

Senator Chris Dodd on Net Neutrality:
http://dodd.senate.gov/index.php?q=node/3509

Fmr. Senator John Edwards on Net Neutrality:
http://www.freepress.net/news/23956

Representative Dennis Kucinich on Net Neutrality (voted yes on Rep. Ed Markey's Net Neutrality amendment):
http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2006/roll239.xml

Governor Bill Richardson on Net Neutrality:
http://www.richardsonforpresident.com/issues/civil_rights

Net Neutrality one-page backgrounder:
http://civ.moveon.org/save_the_internet/background.html?id=11520-512597-_gq_5A&t=9
3. "Executive Wants to Charge for Web Speed," Washington Post, December 1, 2005
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1902&id=11520-512597-_gq_5A&t=10

[Eric J in MN]

1. It's the green box near the bottom of the screen, above the video.

It took me a while to find, but I voted for Net Neutrality.

http://www.10questions.com/?search=FWBJzF8T6Y8&l=ccforum&ans=quest&all=1&menu=

[IndyOp]

2. Thanks Eric! (n/t)

[Eric J in MN]

3. kick

kick

[WillyT]

4. Done !!! - K & R !!!

:kick:

[Eric J in MN]

5. kick

kick