NEW YORK CITY — The fight to save Net Neutrality and stop the Comcast-Time Warner Cable merger is coming to Brooklyn on Mon., Oct. 27. New York Rep. Jerrold Nadler and former FCC Commissioner Michael Copps will join others in a public discussion about our rights to connect and communicate. The hearing will occur against the backdrop of two pending FCC decisions that could destroy the open Internet.

Thousands of people have urged the FCC to get out of D.C. and hold public hearings on Net Neutrality and the Comcast merger, but so far Chairman Tom Wheeler has ignored this call. Common Cause, Consumers Union, Daily Kos, Demand Progress, Free Press and the Media Action Grassroots Network (MAG-Net) are hosting this important event, which will give New Yorkers the chance to speak out.

“After waiting months for the FCC to get out of the Beltway, advocates are taking initiative,”  said former FCC Commissioner and Common Cause Special Adviser Michael Copps. “The voices of millions of Americans must not be ignored. A cloistered conversation in Washington, D.C., advances the special interests, not the public interest. It's time for everyone to speak, and be heard."

Since the FCC’s open Internet proceeding began earlier this year, a record-breaking 3.7 million Americans have submitted comments to the agency. Nearly all commenters have urged the FCC to use its congressionally granted authority to protect Internet users’ rights and prevent a few powerful phone and cable companies from controlling the future of communications. Similarly, hundreds of thousands of Americans have signed petitions and submitted comments to the FCC urging it to reject the Comcast-Time Warner Cable merger.

The hosting organizations are working with local allies to ensure that as many New Yorkers as possible can air their views during the Brooklyn event. Staff members from Common Cause, Consumers Union, Free Press and MAG-Net will be available on site for interviews.

Details:
What: New York Speaks: A Hearing on Our Rights to Connect and Communicate
When: Mon., Oct. 27, from 6–8 p.m. (at 5 p.m. a "cultural speakout" and theater performance will take place on the plaza outside the library)
Where: Dweck Center, Brooklyn Central Library, 10 Grand Army Plaza
Who: Speakers include Rep. Jerrold Nadler, former FCC Commissioner Michael Copps, Presente.org Director Mariana Ruiz, MAG-Net's Malkia Cyril, Free Press President and CEO Craig Aaron and many more.

If you have any questions, please contact Timothy Karr at 201-533-8838 or via email at tkarr@freepress.net.