Tomorrow, Congress Votes on Net Neutrality on the House Floor! Hear Directly from Members of Congress at 8pm ET TODAY on Reddit, and Learn What You Can Do to Save Net Neutrality!

Authored by redditblog.com and submitted by LastBluejay

As you all know, one of our biggest causes is supporting measures that help preserve the free and open internet, which is under threat worldwide from those who want to exercise more control over how you access the web at large. We don’t think that’s right, and feel strongly that users should be able to access all websites (including Reddit!) with equal ease and speed. No one—not the government, and not ISPs—should interfere in what sites you choose to visit.

The concept of Net Neutrality enshrines that principle. But unfortunately, in 2017, the FCC decided to overturn existing rules in favor of Net Neutrality, making it easier for ISPs to channel you toward content that benefits their bottom line.

Nevertheless, there have been a number of legislative efforts to try and restore Net Neutrality rules, and the newest one is making real waves. The Save the Internet Act would enshrine the principles of Net Neutrality into law, preventing internet service providers from blocking or throttling websites, or from allowing paid prioritization (that is, creating paid “fast lanes” for the big guys who can afford it, or for other content ISPs have an interest in).

As internet service providers increasingly swallow up the content industry, the temptations grow to funnel consumers toward content that benefits their bottom line, harming competition and closing off the web. (Don’t believe us? Head over here to Columbia Journalism Review’s “Who Owns What?” index and take a gander under the “Comcast” or “Time Warner” tabs). In a perfect world, if Americans had more choice between service providers, this might not be such an issue. But the reality is that more than 100 million Americans—many in rural areas—have only one option when it comes to how they get their internet at home. Accordingly, we need to protect Net Neutrality.

Congressional AMA TODAY at 8pm with Congressman McNerney

We support the Save the Internet Act, and are excited that it will be up for a full vote on the House floor tomorrow! We’re even more excited that we will be joined by Congressman Jerry McNerney of California (and maybe a few other guests), one of the bill’s co-sponsors, to take your questions about the bill directly in an AMA happening TODAY in r/politics at 8pm ET. Be sure to check it out!

If Net Neutrality is something you care about, be sure to spread the word. The most important thing you can do is to call your member of Congress and let them know that you’ll be watching their vote tomorrow. (If you don’t know who your representative is, you can look them up here and find their contact information– you might also want to see whether they appeared in this instance of spontaneous community action on Reddit). Also, be sure to tell a friend! Many people still aren’t aware of the fight for Net Neutrality, and don’t realize that it will impact them in very real ways– especially those Americans living in rural areas who have the least choice when it comes to internet service providers. (Check out the comments on this post, where Redditors told us all about how Net Neutrality impacts them).

Finally, take some time today to continue to educate yourself about Net Neutrality and why it matters. In addition to the upcoming AMA with Rep. McNerney, we have some great past AMAs on the issue from other members of Congress including Congressman Mike Doyle (Pennsylvania), Senator Ed Markey (Massachusetts), and Senator Brian Schatz (Hawaii). We also have one from FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, and some California firefighters who had a scary moment last year fighting the wildfires when Verizon decided to throttle their network.

We feel the momentum in the fight for Net Neutrality, and we hope you will too! We’ll continue to keep you updated with how things progress.

Predator_ on April 8th, 2019 at 16:21 UTC »

How is discussing next steps the night before the vote helpful to anyone. This conversation would have been helpful weeks ago when it could have lead to many calling their representatives to voice their concerns. Discussing this at 8pm the night before a vote does nothing. Congressional offices won't be open and no one will be able to hear all those voicemails prior to the vote.

hoodoo-operator on April 8th, 2019 at 14:53 UTC »

It's going to be close to a party line vote. It will pass in the house because Democrats took the house in 2018, but it will die in the Senate because Republicans hold that chamber. If for some reason it was able to squeak out of the Senate, Trump will veto it.

Voting matters. Show up in 2020. If you really care, do more than just vote.

rwoj on April 8th, 2019 at 14:45 UTC »

and then it doesn't even get a vote on the senate floor