Action Alert to Protect Internet Neutrality

Hey Media Artists!!

Do we really want internet companies to be able to tell us what we can and cannot view and do on the Internet? This includes uploading, as well...

The Internet has, to date, been the most democratic and effective means of sharing critical and creative information. If anything, efforts should be made to expand access and availability! Independent and public content MUST remain as widely circulated as that spewed out by corporations with commercial interests.

Stand up for freedom of speech, expression, information, community, and content!!

The following is reposted from an email sent by Campaign for Democratic Media. An action request contained within...

STOP THE THROTTLERS!

The Campaign for Democratic Media is leading the call to stop the throttling of the Internet and the strangling of our choice.

Bell and Rogers are changing fundamentally how the Internet works by dictating how Web surfers access content.

As of April 7, Bell is going to put limits on downloads by Sympatico subscribers. Internet hosting companies that buy wholesale services from Bell have already been feeling the pinch since mid-March. Meanwhile, Rogers, in addition to its own traffic-shaping activities, has announced it will charge subscribers more for Internet activities that use more bandwidth.

The companies argue they are trying to limit activities that use up a lot of bandwidth in order to maintain speed for all users.

But there is a dangerous reality hidden beneath the companies' apparent concern for subscribers.

Using the same "traffic shaping" principle, the companies can steer subscribers to their own content, or content produced by affiliated companies, and away from that offered by competitors
-- including the public broadcaster. For example, some Internet users who recently tried to download CBC's The Next Greatest Prime Minister on Bittorrent were told it would take hours to do so.

For more than a decade, the Internet was a neutral resource for people around the world to share information with each other.

Do we really want Bell and Rogers to be able to tell us what we can and cannot view and do on the Internet?

You can take action on this alert via the web at:
http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/internet_control/88eg8uk4q7nttw6d?

We encourage you to take action by April 15, 2008

Say NO to internet control by Bell, Rogers