Congressman Lewis,
I am dismayed, but not surprised, that the FCC is trying yet again to eliminate net neutrality. Despite the fact that Trump campaigned as a populist champion who would favor the 'little guy' over big business, he has assembled undoubtedly the most business-friendly administration in history. It is therefore no surprise that the man Trump named to be chairman of the FCC,
Ajit Pai, is on the brink of eliminating this useful regulation in order to open the door to untold billions of revenue for Pai's former employer, Verizon, and all other ISPs.
I certainly hope I can count on you to exert your influence to make sure the net neutrality rules remain in place. After all, these rules protect two things which are central to the American way of life, not to mention central to Republican orthodoxy: free speech and small business entrepreneurship.
I know that Republicans consider small businesses to be essential to a vibrant economy. They are economic laboratories of experimentation, and they provide essential jobs. In fact, the Small Business Administration estimates that
small businesses employ the majority of America's non-farm work force. And in 2017, most small businesses need an internet presence in order to survive, much less thrive. Not only do they need net neutrality to compete on an equal footing with their larger competitors for potential customers, they also need net neutrality so the customers they have can easily access their site, without being shoved into a 'slow lane' or getting charged an extra fee for access.
But beyond the economic advantages of the level playing field provided by net neutrality, there's the more compelling free speech argument.
The internet in its current form (with net neutrality rules in place) is the greatest tool for the advancement of democracy in the history of humankind. The United States rightly condemns nations such as China, North Korea and Iran for censoring the internet, so why we would allow our corporate ISPs to impose restrictions on the internet in America? The fact that any ordinary citizen can set up a web site and express his or her views alongside those of any celebrity or politician is an important and quintessentially American expression of democracy. And while this freedom of expression may on occasion be a source of consternation to politicians on both the left and right (including yourself), I'm sure you agree that all voices have a right to be heard, and that no one voice is inherently more valuable than another.
So why would we allow Commissioner Pai and the FCC to wipe out the rule which guarantees all voices have an equal chance to be heard?
I have studied the issue of net neutrality at length, and I have yet to see an argument against it which isn't rooted in the motivation to give ISPs a tool for charging more and higher fees, and for muzzling the voices they don't want heard. In short, if you allow the FCC to end net neutrality, you will be complicit in putting corporate interests above those of American small businesses and the American people. And I'm sure that's not where you want to be.
Especially not with the election less than a year away.
