Monday, November 7, 2011

Activist Alert!

Take Action for Libraries!
Net Neutrality in Jeopardy

This week the full U.S. Senate will vote on Senate Joint Resolution 6, a bill to overturn the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) order passed to adopt “net neutrality.”

Please call your Senators and ask them to vote “NO” on S.J. Res. 6.  You can reach your Senators by calling the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121.  Your call sends a loud and clear message that libraries depend on an open and nondiscriminatory Internet to provide our the public unfettered access to information. 

•    Voting no helps preserve the openness of the Internet which is essential to our nation’s educational achievement, freedom of speech and economic growth.
•    Without an open and neutral Internet, there is great risk that commercial Internet Service Providers (ISPs) will give higher priority to some users (e.g. give entertainment priority over education).
•    ISPs may seek to impose additional fees on Internet users which could drastically impact libraries who require much greater bandwidth than households to serve their patrons, many at one time.

This anti-net neutrality resolution, if passed, would strike at the heart of libraries’ ability to ensure patrons have open, unfettered access to all types of information.

Click here for additional information, including links to the letter the ALA sent to Senate leadership.