John Oliver’s War, the FCC and How You Can Help Keep the Net Neutral

Have you ever made a comment on the Internet about an actress who gained a little weight?  Or weighed-in on a political view you do believe is unfair?  Or said “Oh little Suzy looks so cute in her onesies!” on your friend’s Facebook page?  Then this is for YOU: because Facebook, Google, Amazon, Twitter, eBay and each and every entity on the internet from this datacenter blog to aforementioned titans are BEGGING YOU: HELP US!

Have you ever made a comment on the Internet about an actress who gained a little weight?  Or weighed-in on a political view you do believe is unfair?  Or said “Oh little Suzy looks so cute in her onesies!” on your friend’s Facebook page?  Then this is for YOU: because Facebook, Google, Amazon, Twitter, eBay and each and every entity on the internet from this datacenter blog to aforementioned titans are BEGGING YOU: HELP US! How do you help?  You have a little less than 120 days from the June 4, 2014 – to be heard by the FCC.

That’s right: YOU can actually make a direct impact on how the future of the Internet will be run, and in an unprecedented move activists and tech giants have joined forces to get you to go here and tell the FCC: “KEEP MY INTERNET NEUTRAL:”

http://www.fcc.gov/comments

We have someone to thank for the sudden boost in Net Neutrality awareness: HBO’s brilliant John Oliver who’s rant on his much-watch show “Last Week Tonight” led to an overwhelming number of viewers going to the FCC’s site: so many that it crashed the site. More on the “rant” below, as well as a link to it below:

So, why do we care: as we’ve reported about previously: when cable companies compete “little” companies get the chance to be found on the internet.

Even the giant, Netflix paid Comcast’s “ransom” to put them in the “fast” lane, and amazingly so, back in January, streaming Netflix on Comcast was at an all-time-low, and in February, miraculously streaming speeds went back up to normal levels.  What happened?  Netflix paid Comcast a large undisclosed amount (somewhere between $25 – $50 million – and this amount might be a “bargain” if the FCC’s approves the “fast lane”) to put them back at their “normal” speed.

Check it out for yourself, in this appalling graph from The Washington Times:

Oliver pointed out that it’s possible that either “Big Cable” is trying to make Net Neutrality seem more boring than watching paint dry: that and the fact that Comcast was the 2nd (only to defense contractor Northrop Grumman), highest paying lobbying organization in Washington last year, seriously a cable company coming in a close 2nd to a defense contractor!

Want to watch Oliver’s 13-Minute NOT SUITED FOR WORK Primer on Net Neutrality, click here (we warned you it’s NSFW or children, but you need to watch it – put your headphones on.)

If after watching it, you still don’t believe that the Internet may end as we the people know it and continue to hide behind a veil of ignorance, please comment on our Facebook page.  Or make yourself heard, comment to the FCC.  Keep our Net Neutral, Keep Out Big Cable! You will thank yourself for it.

The clock is ticking: comment, make yourself heard, please: http://www.fcc.gov/comments