Clearing Up Confusion on Net Neutrality’s Demise (June 11th, 2018), And What To Do Now
There has been a lot of confusion and misleading information about Net Neutrality, leading to me getting tons of mature, often uneducated comments on my post such as, “Pussy liberals, nothing changed!” or “Its leftist propaganda! We need less government oversight on the internet!” and my personal favorite type of comment, “Net Neutrality ended in December!”
I also admit to following some of the misleading posts, for as much as I try to research before spreading said “information” that came my way. But I will cover all of this right now to clear the fog.
1. The end date never changed, it was miscommunication. A lot of people were confused because the end date for Net Neutrality kept changing, but it didn’t ever change. Back in April or May, posts were made claiming it was the end for NN, but that wasn’t correct. It was the deadline for Congress to enact the Congressional Review Act (or CRA) to review the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) December 2017 decision to roll back Title II Net Neutrality Protections, which passed the Senate, and is still sitting in the House Of Representatives (more on that in a moment). Title II Net Neutrality Protections were officially rolled back and erased form the books June 11th, 2018.
2. It wasn’t ever going to change overnight. Internet Service Providers (ISP’s) know that we have our finger on the pulse of everything, and wouldn’t be stupid enough to censor, slow and overcharge on day one. But over time, it will happen slowly and randomly. Less attention is paid to something when its no longer fresh news. Its done in a way to make it seem as if its not happening at all.
3. Rescuing Net Neutrality. The CRA didn’t go through the House in time for Monday’s official repeal, but it still is sitting in the House and can be voted on through December 31st, 2018. I also believe this is called a Resolution of Disapproval, but I definitely recommend researching all of the official titles for these acts instead of just taking my word on that portion. Anyhoo, if it passes in the House, it will then go to Trump’s desk to either be passed or be veto’d.
Now, you’ve been told numerous times to call your representatives, and that is still what you should do, and always should do, when you want to be heard.
How to contact your representatives
Go to this site and enter your zip code.
Call the phone number listed on the site for your House Representative
Tell them you support net neutrality, why you support it, and tell them to use the Congressional Review Act to pass a “resolution of disapproval” reversing the FCC’s vote. NOTE: There are scripts, but its also important to edit this script in a way to not just sound like every other scripted call. Make it individual!
go to this website to see which specific reps need to be pressured into supporting net neutrality
this video explains how net neutrality affects you
And finally, remember to register to vote (look up rules for your state as it differs for dates and deadlines to register before an election). There will be a Primary, and then the General Election in November. Get the word out, remind others to register, do thorough research on the candidates of your choosing, and VOTE. Its easy as pie!
PS. People think I’m a dude named Jack, and its hilarious; I am a girl and my blog is a pun based on this guy here: Jack White.
