I’ve been hard at work this morning to spread the news about net neutrality. In case you don’t know what net neutrality is, let me fill you in.
Imagine a world in which the government can limit what you can and can’t access on the internet. Imagine a world in which you must pay individually for internet access, the device on which you access the internet, access to video, to social media, news, email, etc. Imagine a world in which individual companies such as Verizon and AT&T can charge you whatever they want for this access. Imagine a world in which they determine what you can access.
Sounds pretty bad, right? Thankfully, a little thing called net neutrality prevents this from happening.
Except they’re voting to repeal it on December 14th.
The internet as we know it could disappear, unless we take action now! Email and call your local Senators! Spam them. You can see a list of the three people whose vote we need to change to “no” to prevent this from being repealed by checking out the posts I’ve reblogged or by searching net neutrality here on Tumblr.
I encourage you to come up with your own reasons for why net neutrality should not be replaced. They have released statements implying they will only consider emails and calls with new information or perspectives.
Please guys. If you like your fandoms, please please please email the heck out of your representatives.
Also note: Tumblr.com is owned by Yahoo which is owned by Verizon. Verizon is one of the biggest supporters of the repeal of Net Neutrality.
This means Tumblr is actively working to prevent the spread of posts like this. It is un-following people from the net neutrality tag. It is deleting posts.
If you’re not sure what to send, here’s the email I sent Mike O’Rielly.
DO NOT COPY THIS EMAIL. THEY WILL NOT CONSIDER REPEAT EMAILS.
Mr. O’Rielly,
I am well aware that you are being flooded with emails at this point in time, but I’d like you to take a short moment to consider mine. Sir, this is about more than money. This about people’s lives. The internet provides access to suicide, abuse, trauma, and victim resources for hundreds of thousands of people. Many of them would lose these resources due to financial reasons if net neutrality were to be repealed. Sir, your vote of no on December 14th can save the victims, the hurt, the wounded, the sorrowful, the discriminated, and all those who draw upon online resources and communities to keep going. I personally know that many online resources such as Calm.com and 7 Cups of Tea have kept me from hurting myself both physically and emotionally on numerous occasions. I have many friends who have found solace in online communities on websites like Tumblr.com. For some of them, said communities prevented their suicide. But I can speak for each and every one of us and say that we would not be able to afford access to these sites if net neutrality was repealed.
I would also like to bring to your attention the suffering of self-employed social media content creators and small businesses. Social media platforms such as YouTube and Instagram have become a livelihood for many young people. Their paychecks are determined by the amount of views they received and followers they have, either directly or indirectly. If net neutrality was repealed, their online traffic would surely decline. The entire business they had created could very easily cease to exist, leaving them in the dust with no money to pay the bills. Once again, Mr. O’Rielly, people’s lives are in your hand. Are you willing to take the risk of leaving these young people destitute? Some small businesses also require the Internet to thrive. Take sites like Etsy.com for example. Many people will craft handmade goods and sell them online on this website and other sites like it. Once again, people can only buy these goods if they can access them.
Mr. Mike O’Rielly, I beg of you. Vote no. Keep net neutrality. These are just two examples of many reasons why the free internet is imperative to our modern world. I give you my fullest respect, but know that if you vote yes and net neutrality is repealed, I will hold you personally responsible for the effects. It’s in your hands Mr. O’Rielly. Nobody is going to make this decision for you. Consider the millions of people sending in emails and making phone calls. Consider the effects of repealing net neutrality. Consider all of this, and then make your decision.
Back in 2015 you demanded that the FCC adopt strict net neutrality rules and establish a free and open internet. And you won.
That should’ve been the end of it. But apparently not.
The new head of the FCC wants to undo the net neutrality protections you fought so hard for.
His proposed changes open the door to your web traffic being slowed down, or even blocked altogether. You could be forced to pay extra to use your favorite apps. You could even be prevented from getting news from the sources you trust.
Title II protects consumers and democracy by ensuring all voices can be heard.
You know the drill. Here’s what to do:
The FCC is taking comments from the public, and dearfcc.org is making it as simple as possible for you to make your voice heard.
You’ll just need to provide a name, an address, and then say a little bit about why rolling back Title II protections is a bad idea. If you’re not quite sure what to write, here’s something to get you started:
I’m writing to urge you to keep our Open Internet rules based on Title II in place. Without them, we could lose the internet as we know it.
The proposed changes to FCC rules would allow fast lanes for sites that pay, and force everyone else into slow lanes. We’ve already seen access to streaming services like Netflix, popular games like League of Legends, and communication platforms like FaceTime slowed down, or even blocked. Conditions like this hurt businesses large and small, and penalize the users who patronize them.
The changes also open the door to unfair taxes on internet users, and could also make it harder for blogs, nonprofits, artists, and others who can’t pay up to have their voices heard.
Please leave the existing net neutrality rules based on Title II in place.
I try to keep things fun and light on here…but…this is really important. Imagine what will happen to our fandom (and all the fandoms all over the internet) if the FCC kills net neutrality? There’s a strong possibility huge swaths of content will be inaccessible and it will hurt the fan content creators you love.
I have SUPER ANXIETY but calling my congressman made me feel better about this than I’ve felt in weeks. I actually did something. And they were really polite on the phone even though I was like
“Kill net neutrality? Now you’re not even speaking English”
they give you a little script and call your number
you enter your zip code into your phone
it connects you to your congressperson
you say you support net neutrality and ask if the congressperson does
if they do, say you appreciate their support and ask them to keep fighting
if they don’t, make it clear you will not vote for them and will support their opponents in the future unless they change their stance (this is the most effective thing to say!)
I did some pacing around to work up the courage to do it, but
I’m sorry this got long…but please, this is really important. Your voice CAN make a difference.
I have near panic attacks when I have to talk on the phone sometimes, esp about important stuff like this that I’m already panicking about, so just reminders you do have other options to be supportive.
But if you are brave enough, please do call! Do all you can! The internet is very important.
Last Wednesday, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler announced a proposal for new rules that would allow for a “ fast lane” of Internet traffic for content providers who are willing (and able) to pay a fee. [1] The proposal reverses the FCC’s previous commitment to net neutrality and open internet and allows ISP’s like Comcast or Verizon to slow down and censor services that don’t pay the toll.
We have to be totally honest, this situation is seriously grim. But there is still hope. The FCC already knows that the Internet community wants net neutrality, but they think they can put their spin on these new rules and sneak them through. If we can prove them wrong right now with a massive public outcry, we can literally save the Internet once again.
We need to stop the FCC now. Big business groups are already ramping up lobbying efforts with the FCC in swarms since Wednesday’s announcement in support of censoring the open Internet and to ensure this dangerous proposal moves forward. [2]
This is a critical moment. In the last few weeks more than 65,000 people have taken action with us. Can you help us get to 80,000 by the end of the day today?
we’re almost ¾ of the way there!! c’mon guys, every bit counts!
will it ever stop
fucking signal boost
IF YOU ARE NOT SIGNAL BOOSTING THIS YOU ARE NOT PAYING ATTENTION.
IF THE U.S. FALLS TO THIS IT WILL OPEN OTHER DANGEROUS DOORS INTERNATIONALLY.
Start a civil war against the US government.
Signal boost for my us followers
I try to keep the things I reblog as blog/mun-centric as possible, but this is something I just can’t let slide.
I’ve been following this cause since last year. I’ve signed petitions, I’ve called representatives, I’ve been to protests, the whole nine yards.
This right here? This is not a joke. This is seriously happening, guys.
Remember the Wikipedia shutdown? That was to protest this right here. If you haven’t taken action against this yet, frankly, what is wrong with you? If this doesn’t get stopped, we’re going to lose the thing that brings us all together unless we shell out huge sums of cash to these corrupt bastards.
Do not just sit there and keep browsing.
Do not scroll past this.
Fight.
I’ve been reblogging every single Net Neutrality post
I may think its useless but I also believe in HOPE so KEEP TRYING
This isn’t art-related, but this is EXTREMELY SERIOUS IF YOU LIVE IN THE US. The following message is pasted from Reddit user DrDreamtime. I did not write this, but it
contains all the most important information you should know. It should be spread as far and wide as possible.
For
those that do not know or understand what net neutrality is and would
rather see a video instead of a LOT of text, here is a good video by John Oliver on Net Neutrality.
Please take the time to at least do the first easy step, either of the two options work and take very little time.
If
this fails, the possibility of actually having to pay more to access
reddit, facebook, and any other website or face massive loading speed
increases or even a straight out site-block by your ISP.
You need to contact your representatives and senators about Net Neutrality even if they already support it, but especially if they don’t.
Remember
that this very thread is only possible because of a free and open
internet; kill net neutrality and threads like this might be a thing of
the past.
Text RESIST to 50409
to get help from RESIST Bot. It helps you find your reps, write letters
to them, and sends them faxes FOR FREE. Everyone who cares about Net
Neutrality should take 5 minutes to write to your representatives, once a
week (or a day). Be heard.
The harder, but still very easy way:
Step 1: Find out who your Representative and Senator is/are.
FaxZero has a system set up allowing you to fax your Representatives and Senators
for free! (Faxes are good if you can’t get through on the phone lines,
or just if you want congressional staffers to listen to fax machine
noises until Net Neutrality is safe.)
Step 3: Call, write, or fax to express your feelings on this.
A
lot of people are nervous about calling their elected officials for the
first time, maybe you don’t know what to say, or how to say it, or even
who you’ll be talking to, so here’s what you’ll need to know.
There’s
a 75% chance your call will be answered by a Secretary who is
specifically there to listen to your concerns, there’s a 25% chance your
call will be bumped into a voicemail box which is specifically there to
listen to your concerns, there is a ~0% chance you’ll find yourself on
the phone with your Senator or Representative.
You may be asked for your name and address or zip code, it’s okay not to tell them if you don’t want to, but the information is useful for your elected officials. I usually just give my first name, zip code, and the name of my town.
Don’t
worry about a script, don’t worry about being eloquent, you’re not
writing Shakespeare here, you’re a concerned citizen voicing their
frustrations, fears, and hopes. “I’m really scared of Ajit Pai’s plans
to roll back net neutrality, a free and open internet is important to me
because [Your reason here. Some suggestions: An open internet is
important to democracy/I worry what Donald Trump might do with more
power/Cable bills are already too high/etc.]. Please tell [Senator or
Representative] that I support a free and open internet, I support Net
Neutrality, and I vote.” The only hard and
fast rule is that you need to be polite; these folks are getting dozens,
if not hundreds of calls a day, they don’t need you bitching and
swearing at them for something they have no control over. Be passionate,
but be polite.
Reminder: Only call YOUR OWN elected officials!
Calling Mitch McConnell from sunny Florida won’t do anyone any good,
and might actually harm the cause. Only call your own elected officials,
period.
Net neutrality is the principle that Internet providers like Comcast & Verizon should not control what we see and do online. In 2015, startups, Internet freedom groups, and 3.7 million commenters won strong net neutrality rules from the US Federal Communication Commission (FCC). The rules prohibit Internet providers from blocking, throttling, and paid prioritization—"fast lanes" for sites that pay, and slow lanes for everyone else.
John Oliver on the danger of ending net neutrality:
today is Nov. 15. the FCC, under chairman Ajit Pai, will not listen to the public despite millions of comments in support of net neutrality. They are going to try their hardest to kill net neutrality, which in turn will kill the internet, which in turn will help eradicate democracy. it won’t just affect Americans, it has the potential to affect the entire internet, something we ALL use daily. you can bet your ass other countries will see america doing this, and use it as an excuse to do it in their own countries.
this is what buying a plan without net neutrality looks like there:
you have to pay MORE for features you’re already guaranteed to have under net neutrality. and in america, you already know how expensive everything is.
democrats AND republicans both want net neutrality. advocacy groups in touch with congress have said that if your members of congress receive calls from you, they are more encouraged and more likely to take action to stop Pai’s plan to gut net neutrality. after Nov. 22, it will be MUCH HARDER to convince your member of congress.
hey guys, please reblog this version and don’t forget to call!!! if you are nervous about calling, you can use resistbot to send faxes to your reps and thestance appto pre-record your message so you won’t have to speak to anyone. (available in both google play and app store)
A small list of random ass sites I’ve found useful when writing:
Fragrantica: perfume enthusiast site that has a long list of scents. v helpful when you’re writing your guilty pleasure abo fics
Just One Cookbook: recipe site that centers on Japanese cuisine. Lots of different recipes to browse, plenty of inspiration so you’re not just “ramen and sushi”
McCormick Science Institute: yes this is a real thing. the site shows off research on spices and gives the history on them. be historically accurate or just indulge in mindless fascination. boost your restaurant au with it
Cocktail Flow: a site with a variety of cocktails that’s pretty easy to navigate and offers photos of the drinks. You can sort by themes, strengths, type and base. My only real annoyance with this site is that the drinks are sometimes sorted into ~masculine~ and ~feminine~ but ehhhh. It’s great otherwise.
Tie-A-Tie: a site centered around ties, obviously. I stumbled upon it while researching tie fabrics but there’s a lot more to look at. It offers insight into dress code for events, tells you how to tie your ties, and has a section on the often forgotten about tie accessories
Even more:
Types of High Heels: A page describing twenty five different types of high heels. It gives a description and pictures. Shake it up from just “stilettos and kitten heels”
Random Job Generator: Exactly as it says. The site offer more generators like characters, plots, or town names.
Candlelight-magick 
