Dozens of Organizations, Companies Thank U.S. Mayors
Earlier this week, mayors across the United States took a stand for the open Internet. The U.S. Conference of Mayors passed a resolution on Monday in support of Net Neutrality and against the discriminatory practices that a proposed Federal Communications Commission rule would allow. And who better to tell the FCC how critical this issue is for our communities. Mayors know firsthand the harms of discrimination and the importance of preserving the Internet's level playing field.
Thirty-six organizations signed a letter thanking the resolution's sponsors for their leadership on this vital issue. You can read the full thank-you letter below. And you can tell the FCC how important this issue is by going here.
June 26, 2014
The Honorable Edwin M. Lee
Mayor, City of San Francisco, Calif.
The Honorable Paul Soglin
Mayor, City of Madison, Wis.
The Honorable Michael Nutter
Mayor, City of Philadelphia, Pa.
The Honorable Eric Garcetti
Mayor, City of Los Angeles, Calif.
The Honorable Jonathan Rothschild
Mayor, City of Tucson, Ariz.
The Honorable Ed Murray
Mayor, City of Seattle, Wash.
The Honorable Bill DeBlasio
Mayor, New York City, New York
The Honorable Martin Walsh,
Mayor, City of Boston, Mass.
The Honorable Christopher Cabaldon,
Mayor, City of West Sacramento
The Honorable Pedro Segarra,
Mayor, City of Hartford, Conn.
The Honorable Charles Hales,
Mayor, City of Portland, Ore.
The Honorable Greg Stanton,
Mayor, City of Phoenix, Ariz.
The Honorable Pam O’Connor,
Mayor, City of Santa Monica, Calif.
The Honorable Stephen Benjamin,
Mayor, City of Columbus, S.C.
The Honorable Tari Renner,
Mayor, City of Bloomington, Ill.
The Honorable John R. Marks,
Mayor, City of Tallahassee, Fla.
The Honorable Chris Koos,
Mayor, City of Normal, Ill.
The Honorable Mark Kleinschmidt,
Mayor, City of Chapel Hill, N.C.
Dear Mayors:
We’re writing to thank you for your leadership supporting the open Internet. The passing of the consolidated version of Resolutions #114 and #115 at the U.S. Conference of Mayors marks a milestone in the fight to save Net Neutrality.
Net Neutrality is critical to the future of our cities. If we allow discrimination online, the Internet will no longer be a powerful engine for free speech and economic opportunity. For our cities to succeed, we need all the power and potential that the open network brings, and the “comprehensive nondiscrimination” principles that your resolution rightly demands.
Members of the Federal Communications Commission and Congress need to listen to local leaders, who know firsthand how discrimination harms our communities. The Internet by design is a level playing field. Everyone should be free to connect online and share information without fear of censorship or discrimination.
Thank you for your leadership. We look forward to your ongoing support of Net Neutrality.
Best,
BitTorrent Inc.
Center for Media Justice
ColorOfChange.org
Common Cause
Common Frequency
CREDO
Daily Kos
Demand Progress
Electronic Frontier Foundation
Engine
Fight for the Future
Free Press Action Fund
Future of Music Coalition
The Greenlining Institute
Kickstarter, Inc.
Media Alliance
The Media Consortium
Media Literacy Project
Media Mobilizing Project
MoveOn.org Civic Action
Mozilla
The Nation
National Hispanic Media Coalition
New America Foundation’s Open Technology Institute
Organizing Apprenticeship Project
Participatory Politics Foundation
Popular Resistance
Presente.org
Public Knowledge
RootsAction
Savvy System Design
SumOfUs.org
TURN
Women's Institute for Freedom of the Press
Women's Media Center
Y Combinator
Original photo by Flickr user Nate Grigg