An Immodest Proposal for Preserving Net Neutrality

I wrote last week about the end of Net neutrality as if it were inevitable, and it probably is. But maybe I'm wrong.

The only thing Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman Ajit Pai understands is power.  That's why Pai laughs off comments on the FCC's message board pleading with him to preserve Net neutrality - "Look, I'm scared, I'm scared!"  Pai's allies in the telecommunications industry and their backers in Congress only understand power, also.  So don't waste your time writing to Uncle Charlie (i.e., the FCC) to demand that Net neutrality be preserved.   Here's a better idea.

Find a U.S. Senator - any U.S. Senator - on record for supporting Net neutrality.  If he or she happens to represents your state, so much the better.   Write to that senator and urge him or her to use the power every senator has to hold up legislation to block something important . . . like, say, the continuing resolution renewal. The U.S. government is operating on a continuing resolution in the absence of a real budget, and it is set to expire on December 9 if it is not renewed.  If it expires, the government will shut down.

Tell that senator to block a vote on the continuing resolution unless and until Congress agrees to enshrining Net neutrality into law. No free Internet, no continuing resolution.  Then find another senator and repeat the process.  Write to as many senators as you can.  Call their offices if you can.  Keep track of how many senators respond to you; follow up on the ones that don't.  

Do you remember that song that was a hit back during the 1979 oil crisis, the song suggesting that the U.S. withhold shipments of agricultural products to OPEC member states if they didn't lower the price of oil - "Cheaper Crude Or No More Food"?  Well, I'm proposing the same idea here.  We the people should have our senators hold the continuing resolution hostage to preserving Net neutrality.  If there's actually a completed budget to vote on (yeah, right), they should hold that hostage to ensure that Net neutrality is preserved.  Heck, they should block a vote on raising the debt ceiling, if that's possible, to get Congress and Trump to agree to preserve a free Internet.  Yeah - "Free the Net or no more debt!" :-D 

We ought to do something.  Anything.  Well, anything that's legal.  Because unless we do something, we're all going to get hit on December 14 with a Pai in the face.

Act now before the FCC board has its Net neutrality vote on December 14.