Amid a society obsessed with money and power, the government is attempting to incorporate these obsessions with the Internet. 

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler proposed a plan last May to allow cable TV providers to charge money to companies and websites, ensuring their pages would run fast. This new act, if passed on Feb. 26, will control what information is accessible to people by who is paying the most amount of money.

In the Save the Internet campaign, the aim is to keep the Net open and accessible to all, and actively put a stop to Wheeler’s proposal. The Internet is the main source for information and incorporated in nearly all aspects of everyday life. Limiting it would reform immediately accessible info.

In a democratic society, it’s a responsibility to have voices heard and fight to protect an open Internet. If not, this is another way to suck the cash out of everyone’s pockets. Money is the only factor that talks in this case.

Instead of having each website run at the same speed, according to one’s Internet connection, it will become a competition to pay more in order to keep data loading faster.

The Internet would be controlled by the brands willing to pay the most. Each website would no longer be judged for their prices on productions, display and interaction—if it’s much slower than another brand, people are more likely to stay in the fast lane.

In a productive, fast-paced society, people are obsessed with how they can get anything done quickly and efficiently.

This ensures corporations that dominate the Internet, while smaller ones struggle to compete. In this modern society, small businesses have difficulty staying afloat, and incorporating this new proposal would have a few large companies dominating each market, while the rest get forced in the background.

To pass this new law is feeding into the cycle of letting big companies just get bigger and more powerful to dominate the market. Allowing the strongest protection possible will also give ability to what websites are accessible to the public.

This gives authorities the control of what information the public is able to read or be informed about. This isn’t congruent with a democratic society.

With net neutrality, each citizen is able to freely explore different brands, ideas, opinions and information freely. The choice is in the hand of the individual, where they buy from or what they choose to believe, and by having big companies dominant will exclude difference.

People would be more exposed to one company’s stance, rather than having the same speed to explore freely. This will inhibit people’s time to explore other companies that are not dominating with the fastest loading data.

The goal is to keep the Internet open and to put a stop to blocking or slowing down its traffic. In order to put an active stop to Wheeler’s proposal, one must take a stand in what they believe. Sign a petition, act now and get everyone talking and informed on the subject.

Save the Internet to protect free speech and the right to connect and communicate freely.