A group of early internet and computing pioneers have called on the Senate’s FCC oversight committee to censure next week’s net neutrality vote.
Believe the Creators and Pioneers of The Internet
In an open letter to the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation, and the Internet, 21 signatories said that FCC chairman Ajit Pai’s “rushed and technically incorrect” plan to repeal net neutrality “is an imminent threat to the internet we worked so hard to create.” They want the committee to ask Pai to cancel the vote, which is currently scheduled for December 14th.
The list includes some of the people responsible for creating the internet as we know it. That includes
Steven Bellovin, a former FTC chief technologist who helped develop Usenet
Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web
Vinton Cerf, who co-created the internet’s underlying TCP/IP protocol
Steve Crocker, who helped develop the protocols for internet predecessor ARPANET
Stephen Wolff, who helped transform the military ARPANET into a civilian research and communications network.
Consumer Rights: Do NO Harm #NetNeutrality
Start of the open letter
We are the pioneers and technologists who created and now operate the Internet, and some of the innovators and business people who, like many others, depend on it for our livelihood. We are writing to respectfully urge you to call on FCC Chairman Ajit Pai to cancel the December 14 vote on the FCC’s proposed Restoring Internet Freedom Order (WC Docket No. 17-108).
This proposed Order would repeal key network neutrality protections that prevent Internet access providers from blocking content, websites and applications, slowing or speeding up services or classes of service, and charging online services for access or fast lanes to Internet access providers’ customers.
The proposed Order would also repeal oversight over other unreasonable discrimination and unreasonable practices, and over interconnection with last-mile Internet access providers.
The proposed Order removes long-standing FCC oversight over Internet access providers without an adequate replacement to protect consumers, free markets and online innovation.
Read the open letter
NO #TelecomMonopoly #SaveNetNeutrality