MoveOn.org Civic Action

Obama Promises To Reinstate Net Neutrality During First Year In Office – MoveOn Challenges Other Presidential Candidates To Pledge The Same

Video of today’s MTV forum (will air 7pm EST), watch it here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vd8qY6myrrE

MoveOn member Joe Niederberger asked the question over 10Questions.com that made Internet freedom a 2008 presidential issue.  Interviews available with Niederberger upon request.

Today, Net Neutrality became a presidential campaign issue when Senator Barack Obama answered an enthusiastic “Yes!” along with a thorough response to a question posed during an MTV event by a member of MoveOn.org.

"Would you make it a priority in your first year of office to re-instate Net Neutrality as the law of the land?” asked Joe Niederberger, a New Jersey small business owner. “And would you pledge to only appoint FCC commissioners that support open Internet principles like Net Neutrality?”

Net Neutrality—known as the First Amendment of the Internet—is the principle that prevents Internet providers from choosing what websites their customers can access (often based on which websites pay the most money). It was the law of the land until companies like AT&T, Verizon, and Comcast got the Bush-appointed FCC to slate it for elimination in 2005. For Net Neutrality to survive, it must be re-instated back into the law.

I I am a strong supporter of net neutrality,” said Obama. “What you've been seeing is some lobbying that says [Internet providers] should be able to be gatekeepers and able to charge different rates to different websites…so you could get much better quality from the Fox News site and you'd be getting rotten service from the mom and pop sites. And that I think destroys one of the best things about the Internet -- which is that there is this incredible equality there…as president I'm going to make sure that is the principle that my FCC commissioners are applying as we move forward.” (Full answer below.)

"Voters are looking for the type of boldness Senator Obama showed today – with his promise to reinstate Net Neutrality during his first year in office and only appoint FCC Commissioners who support Internet freedom,” said Adam Green, who leads MoveOn’s Internet freedom campaign. “MoveOn members will now ask other presidential candidates to follow Obama’s lead and make these solid promises on Net Neutrality."

Democratic candidates Obama, Biden, Clinton, Dodd, Edwards, Kucinich, and Richardson have all expressed support for Net Neutrality—as has Republican candidate Mike Huckabee. Today’s question asked Obama to make it a real priority and promise concrete steps when in office

MTV agreed to ask Obama the top-rated question submitted by a voter in the online video contest 10Questions.com. That question was submitted by MoveOn member, New Jersey small business owner, and former AT&T engineer Joe Niederberger. It streamed live at 1:30pm EST at MTV’s ChooseorLose.com and will air tonight at at 7:00pm EST on MTV.

Neiderberger and his wife Liz live in Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey and run Zumu Websites (zumu.com), which helps bring K-12 schools into the Internet age. Over 50 school districts in New Jersey use Zumu websites to connect students, parents, teachers, and administrators together through the Internet. Their clients include: Rumson, Fair Haven, Eatontown, Monmouth Regional HS, Ocean Township, West Long Branch, Keyport, Little Silver, and Union Beach.

Last year, over 1.5 million Americans and 850 organization formed the SavetheInternet.com Coalition – including MoveOn, the Christian Coalition, Gun Owners of America, Free Press, and many bloggers and small business owners. Together, they defeated a bill in Congress that would have permanently killed Net Neutrality.

###

CNET: Net Neutrality becomes issue in presidential race
http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9806431-7.html

AT&T, Verizon, Comcast…their actions as Internet gatekeepers:

Companies like AT&T, Verizon, and Comcast want be gatekeepers of communication online—fundamentally changing the Internet’s level playing field where all voices can be heard equally.  Some examples of their intentions:

• NARAL and the Christian Coalition recently denounced Verizon for censoring text messages that it deemed “controversial."
• AT&T was recently condemned by Internet freedom advocates for policies that cut off the Internet service of those who criticize AT&T.
• Comcast was recently caught violating Net Neutrality by degrading the service of a web-based competitor.
• The Washington Post reported: “William L. Smith, chief technology officer for Atlanta-based BellSouth Corp. [now AT&T], 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.” If a multi-billion dollar company like Google would suffer in a world without Net Neutrality, that means stark consequences for non-profits, political groups, independent media, bloggers, and small businesses like Joe Niederberger’s.
  

Obama’s full response – 10/29/07

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vd8qY6myrrE

"The answer is yes! I am a strong supporter of net neutrality. And in case folks weren't following exactly the question I just want to make sure everybody's clear.

 "Right now the speed with which and quality of your downloads or links are the same if you’re going to the CNN or Time Warner website as if you were going to barackobama.com. But what you've been seeing is some lobbying that says that the servers and portals through which you're getting information over the Internet should be able to be gatekeepers and to charge different rates to different websites and webcasts. So now what you'd have is, potentially, you could you could get much better quality from the Fox News site and you'd be getting rotten service from some mom and pop site. And that, I think, destroys one of the best things about the Internet -- which is
that there is this incredible equality there."

"And people, if you've got a good idea and get a great website -- Facebook, MySpace, Google might not have been started if you did not have a level playing field for whoever has the best idea. And I want to maintain that basic principle in how the Internet functions and as president I'm going to make sure that is the principle that my FCC commissioners are applying as we move forward."