MyDD :: Small Business Kicking Ass on Net Neutrality

Small Business Kicking Ass on Net Neutrality

by Matt Stoller, Tue Aug 22, 2006 at 03:00:27 PM EST

You may have noticed that I haven't really touched net neutrality for the past month or so. It's not that I lost interest, it's that Congress isn't in session. But even though I haven't been writing about it, tremendous non-blog organizing work has been done all over the country. I want to highlight one specific event, in New Mexico, which was a petition drop and rally organized by small businesses on behalf of net neutrality outside of Senator Jeff Bingaman's office. Pictured here speaking at the rally/petition drop is Ben Weiss, "a professional computer programmer for over 20 years who also legally blind and depends on the Internet in his daily life."

Senator Jeff Bingaman is undecided on net neutrality, and this kind of locally inspired action is incredibly significant. More prominent than a phone call or email, this shows that people in district are organized and willing to take action around a specific issue. The rally in New Mexico generated lots of local press, both print and TV. Someone clipped and stuck the local newscast on youtube, which I've stuck below. I've also put up pictures from the event in this a flickr set.

This event was so successful that it's going to be reproduced in states around the country. The Savetheinternet coalition is looking for small business owners who have websites, sell stuff on the web, or use the web for their business...and of course favor Net Neutrality enough to want to get active. If you know small business people who care about this issue or use the internet in their work, please forward them this blog post. By showing up to a Senate office, small business owners can convince enough Senators that the Stevens bill has substantial popular opposition.

Here's how they can get involved.

Please have them send an email to smallbiz@freepress.net. All I need is name, city, state, biz name, website, and email address to reach them. Then I'll contact them and match them up with our local organizers.

Forward this onward! Save the internet!

Tags: net neutrality, Ted Stevens, telecom, Jeff Bingaman (all tags)

Permalink :: 12 Comments :: Post a Comment

Re: Small Business Kicking Ass on Net Neutrality (3.00 / 2)

AARP - most people don't understand how much the housebound, elderly or physically handicapped have come to rely on the internet for their doctors' appointments, pharmacy needs, bill paying, research and general communication needs. This is not a small group of people we're talking about here, but I don't hear their voices.

by mainsailset on Tue Aug 22, 2006 at 04:02:20 PM EST

Re: Small Business Kicking Ass on Net Neutrality (none / 0)

Matt! I was beginning to wonder if you'd forgotten about Net Neutrality.

I'm curious to know something. You are a supporter of Ned Lamont, a candidate who in large part can contribute his recent success to the grassroots movement online and in the blogosphere to support his campaign. Why, then, could you tell me, has he not come out in staunch support of "saving the internet" in the fashion you describe? It would seem to me that if this was all as catastrophic as the Save the Internet coalition makes it seem Mr. Lamont, who can attribute his success to the internet, would be the first person to stand up for Net Neutrality.

Is it, perhaps, that Mr. Lamont understands that there is more to the issue and that it is not quite so cut and dry as it is being made to sound?

by ThinkAboutIt on Tue Aug 22, 2006 at 05:25:23 PM EST

Re: Small Business Kicking Ass on Net Neutrality (3.00 / 1)

For god's sake. If you're going to shill, at least get your facts somewhere in the vicinity of straight. From Lamont's interview on this very site:

It's very important that you don't allow the ISPs and the large operators out there to determine who gets access to what content. When it comes down to net neutrality, this is a pipe and we're providing equal access to all of the content providers out there. And the last thing you want is large conglomerates picking and choosing who gets access to what.

I can understand where if there's some services that use up a lot more bandwidth than others, there's a tier or cost that's associated with that. But when it comes to content, when it comes to what people can see, everybody has equal access to that, and again you can't have, again, conglomerates picking and choosing and making those choices on behalf of consumers. That would be wrong, like de facto censorship.

by antidoto on Tue Aug 22, 2006 at 06:33:22 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Small Business Kicking Ass on Net Neutrality (none / 0)

I can understand where if there's some services that use up a lot more bandwidth than others, there's a tier or cost that's associated with that.

In this interview, Lamont, with this quote, makes clear he is open to different internet tiers. He understands that when there are activities that use up a lot of broadband, a tiered internet becomes much more efficient. Not a single person or organization is advocating content discrimination, the debate is about a tiered system versus an untiered system.

It's nice to see that Lamont is open to an internet that allows different tiers. This is exactly what Hands Off the Internet is supporting, and exactly what Matt and the Save the Internet crowd are opposing.

I'm sure Matt will totally gloss over this quote, but the bottom line is Lamont sounds very open to a tiered internet.

by 4 a better internet on Wed Aug 23, 2006 at 11:03:32 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Small Business Kicking Ass on Net Neutrality (none / 0)

You are quite right. It isn't as simple as "free speech on the Internet" as Net Neutrality proponents want to make it sound.

I've spent a load of cash and a career fighting telco monopolistic actions. I am not in favor of handing over the Internet to the telcos and cable companies with a smile. I am also not in favor of federal law governing my abilities to run my ISP and make traffic routing, blocking and priority decisions. For this stand, I have been derided by some for being against Net Neutrality altogether.

The way this problem is solved is by clear information as to what entities are prioritizing for political and financial gain. Municipal fiber, which I have also lobbied and spent significant resources on is key to neutralizing telcos and cable companies who continue to expand their monopolies.

I certainly hope Ned Lamont realizes this. However, I haven't heard from anyone whether Lamont Digital allows 3rd party data providers to use their cable infrastructure.

Pete Ashdown
Another Option for Net Neutrality
A Series of Tubes
Net Neutrality

by pashdown on Tue Aug 22, 2006 at 06:46:31 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Small Business Kicking Ass on Net Neutrality (none / 0)

Helping a telco shill lie about Ned Lamont? Pete, I think that's below you. Lay out your policy if you'd like, but please don't feed the trolls.

by Matt Stoller on Tue Aug 22, 2006 at 08:15:46 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Small Business Kicking Ass on Net Neutrality (none / 0)

Exactly....

stupidity won't win you any support around here.

by Pericles on Tue Aug 22, 2006 at 08:22:40 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Small Business Kicking Ass on Net Neutrality (none / 0)

Great strategy. Small businesses understand the benefits an open-access Internet has provided to "the little guy," and there's not much more "apple pie" in this country than small businesses, and there are lots of them. It's likely to be hard for incumbents to make a convincing case that their plans for a tiered Internet will somehow benefit small business, who've already experienced the benefits of an open, non-tiered Internet, and are unlikely to believe speculative, self-serving arguments of telecommunication giants when something this important is at stake and has already made such a positive difference. That being said, I wouldn't be surprised to see HOTI come out with another anti-NN animation ad targeting small businesses.

by mitchipd on Tue Aug 22, 2006 at 05:25:29 PM EST

Re: Small Business Kicking Ass on Net Neutrality (none / 0)

Not a bad idea, Mitch. It would be valuable to help the smaller business owners properly understand the issues at hand here and why bogging down the internet in red tape and excessive legislation is a bad idea most especially for the small businesses that are the innovators of the web. I'll mention it to my coalition. If nothing else perhaps we can address it in a post on our blog.

by ThinkAboutIt on Tue Aug 22, 2006 at 05:33:58 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Small Business Kicking Ass on Net Neutrality (none / 0)

What's needed is an net neutrality Harry and Louise TV campaign. It could go like this.....

Louise sitting at computer says to Harry: "I just tried to log on to my favorite quilting web site and was told I'll have to pay a premium fee to have access to it from now on!"

Harry walks over, leans down, puts a hand on louise's shoulder and says while looking at screen: "I know. They won't let me on to the Socialist Workers Party site any more either. I think it's time we wrote to our representatives in Congress and demand net neutrality!"

Louise: "It's too late. We should written a lot sooner -- they screwed us out of our good old internet months ago while we weren't looking!"

Narrarator:"Don't make the same the same mistake Harry&Louise did. Contact YOUR representatives in Congress and demand net neutrality NOW!"

With Democrats Lieberman goes for the jugular. With Republicans he goes for the lips.

by Sitkah on Tue Aug 22, 2006 at 06:00:10 PM EST

Re: Small Business Kicking Ass on Net Neutrality (none / 0)

We had a meeting with a Dick Durbin aide Monday about NN. This is a long post, it's part primer on how to organize a meeting with a legislator's office
but if you scroll down it includes my report afterward to Freepress.net and the SavetheInternet coaltion. Check it out at:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/8/21/ 21549/6740

by markg8 on Wed Aug 23, 2006 at 10:34:31 AM EST

Re: Small Business Kicking Ass on Net Neutrality (none / 0)

I wouldn't be surprised if you saw the Bell's front groups and consultants "arranging" events like this. Issue Dynamics, is notorious for staging events that come off as consumer-friendly but are basically shills for their clients.

by jbrown20009 on Wed Aug 23, 2006 at 02:37:47 PM EST

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