The New York Times reports: “A Democratic member of the Federal Communications Commission called Wednesday on the agency’s chairman to delay a proposal for new net neutrality rules, throwing into doubt whether the chairman will be able to muster enough votes at an F.C.C. meeting next week to issue proposed rules.
“Jessica Rosenworcel, one of three Democrats on the five-member commission, said in a speech Wednesday that a delay was warranted because of a ‘torrent of public response’ to the idea that the commission’s rules might create a fast lane on the Internet for companies willing to pay for it.”
MARGARET FLOWERS, M.D., mdpnhp at gmail.com, @MFlowers8
KEVIN ZEESE, kbzeese at gmail.com, @KBZeese
Flowers and Zeese are organizers of PopularResistance.org and are occupying the FCC until the 15th when the FCC votes on proposed Net Neutrality rules. Today Zeese said, “The divisions on the FCC Commission show that the people are having an impact. Now that these fissures are developing we need to increase the pressure. This is a critical moment and an opportunity for the people to set the agenda. We want the Internet reclassified as a common carrier so it can be regulated in the public interest. And, we want Net Neutrality to be required by law. There should be no fee-based discrimination of the First Amendment.
“The other division is — we’re seeing this today — that 100 Internet providers from small startups to Google and Facebook are coming out against tiered system so that’s division on the big business side. …
“We’re feeling momentum online — a coalition of groups has had more than a million people sending emails and petitions and thousands are making phone calls in this last week. … We got a call from the Chairman’s office asking what’s going on, what are you doing, how long are you going to be here, what’s your issues and maybe we should have a meeting. We didn’t bring [the meeting] up, they brought it up. We get the sense the FCC isn’t used to protest. …
“We want this next phase shaped by the public and put forward the public’s proposal rather than a corporate proposal that really undermines the Internet.
