12 July: Day of online action in support of net neutrality

Major Internet companies such as Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Netflix, and civil society organisations such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Public Knowledge take part today (12 July) in a massive online ‘day of action’ in support of the US net neutrality rules. The rules, adopted by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in 2015, are now at risk of being overturned by the Commission. As part of the Battle for the Internet initiative, companies and organisations are expressing support for these rules by displaying alerts on their websites showing ‘the world that the web will look like without net neutrality’. Users are encouraged to send letters to the FCC and the US Congress in support of net neutrality, and to share the message via their websites, blogs, or social media. Telecom provider AT&T – a vocal opponent of the 2015 rules – has announced it is also joining the day of action, noting that it supports an open Internet, but not the current regulations.