Nov. 20: Bay Area Speaks Out for Net Neutrality at San
Francisco City
Hall
Bay Area and national public interest groups
are gathering to
call on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to enact
strong net
neutrality rules at a public event at San Francisco City Hall
next Thursday
evening, November 20, titled “Bay Area Speaks: A People's
Hearing on the Future
of the Internet.” The public is invited to testify at the event
about why the
open Internet is an important issue for Bay Area communities.
The People’s Hearing comes at a key moment in the
debate over
net neutrality. Last Monday, President Barack Obama issued a
statement in
support of full reclassification of the Internet as a
telecommunications
service, echoing the demands of the 4-million Americans who have
spoken out in
favor of the same reforms throughout the year. Reclassification,
according to
Obama, is the best way to achieve strong rules against blocking,
throttling, and paid prioritization
online. The FCC’s
current proposal does not provide full protections for the
Internet and could
be voted on as early as December 11.
What: “Bay Area Speaks: A People's Hearing on the
Future of the
Internet.”
Who: FCC Commissioner Michael Copps; Amy Sonnie,
Outreach Director
of Oakland Public Library; Jay Nath, Chief Technology and
Innovation officer
for the City of San Francisco; Corynne McSherry, Director of
Intellectual
Property at Electronic Frontier Foundation, and Malkia Cyril,
Executive
Director of Center for Media Justice, among others
Date: Thursday,
November 20
Time: Rally – 5:30
pm, Hearing – 7
pm
Where: San Francisco
City Hall
1 Dr Carlton B
Goodlett Place
“In the coming weeks, the FCC will have to
decide whether to
listen to President Obama, and the 4-million people whose voices
have been
raised for clear, crisp, and clean reclassification of
broadband; or to cater
to a handful of lawyers and lobbyists debating the future of the
Internet
behind closed doors,” said Malkia Cyril, Director of the Center
for Media
Justice. “As an agency with a mandate to protect the public
interest, we at the
Media Action Grassroots Network urge the Commission to keep
their eyes on the
prize of real network neutrality, grounded in Title II
authority.”
“The Bay Area has been the most vocal in the
national fight
for net neutrality, and there's a reason: the open Internet is
why so many
trailblazing new technologies and artists were born in this
state,” said April
Glaser, activist at the Electronic Frontier Foundation. “It’s
amazing to have
the president’s support, but the fight isn’t over yet. We want
to make sure the
FCC can hear us loud and clear: we won’t stand for a half-baked
plan that will still
allow slow lanes and won’t protect the open
Internet.”
San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee also came out in
favor of strong
net neutrality rules over the summer.
The event is free and open to the public.
Public testimony
will be submitted to the FCC.
Hi Bay Area Net Neutrality activists,
My friend Julia is spreading the word about a hearing on Net Neutrality at the SF City Hall coming up next week.
Please check out the forwarded message for more info...
---
Obama has made it clear: He wants real Net Neutrality.1
Obama's bold statement on Monday marks a critical turning point in the fight for the open Internet — but we haven’t won yet. We need to keep the pressure on until the FCC listens to the president and the public and does the right thing.
We know so many folks like you in the Bay Area care deeply about this issue — so we're working with our allies to set up a space for you to speak out.
On Thurs., Nov. 20, we're co-hosting Bay Area Speaks: A People’s Hearing on the Future of the Internet.
We need as many people as possible to speak out in favor of real Net Neutrality. Can you be there?
We've got some great participants lined up — former FCC Commissioner Michael Copps, Jay Nath of the Mayor's Office of Civic Innovation, Corynne McSherry of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Ana Montes of the Utility Reform Network and Amy Sonnie of the Oakland Public Library — but YOU are the true star of the event.
We've set aside lots of time for you to share your stories and push the FCC to save Net Neutrality and stop Comcast from taking over the Internet.
Here are the details:
What: Bay Area Speaks: A People's Hearing on the Future of the Internet
When: Thurs., Nov. 20: Doors open at 6 p.m. for light refreshments; the hearing starts at 7 p.m.
Where: San Francisco City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place
Who: We're partnering with our allies at ColorOfChange.org, Common Cause, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Media Action Grassroots Network (MAG-Net) and the Media Alliance to host this event.
RSVP: Sign up here. This event is free and open to the public.
This is your chance to speak out alongside other activists in your area.
Your voice matters — can you join us?
Hope to see you there!
Julia, Mary Alice and the rest of the Free Press team
freepress.net
P.S. Help spread the word. Forward this email to your friends and neighbors!
1. "The President Might Have Just Saved the Internet," Free Press, Nov. 10, 2014: http://act.freepress.net/go/16223?ak_proof=1&t=8&akid=.10131614.Im8l0_
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