The Internet as we know it is in jeopardy. The place we go to find solace for our boredom, fears, political opinions, memes, and virtually anything else is in a current state of crisis. The reason why the Internet is in crisis is because in May 2017, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to dismantle one of the principles of a free and open Internet, and that is net neutrality.

Net neutrality is a concept that has been in effect in 2015, stating that Internet service providers (ISPs) must give equal access to its users when accessing all content online. In other words, ISPs like AT&T and Verizon can’t jack up prices because you haven’t happened to choose a service they didn’t recommend. Seven months later, the FCC has announced that on December 14, 2017 that the board of the Commission, headed by the Trump-appointed, anti-net neutrality chair Ajit Pai, will officially vote to abolish the principle.

It is without question that the absence of net neutrality would be disastrous as to how the Internet functions freely in this country, one that poorly claims to stand for freedom. No net neutrality means that ISPs can levy more fees onto you for the services that you use for free. Telecom companies like Comcast would have the right to incur charges against free services like Wikipedia, social media, or even this site, and cover it up under the guise of a “service fee”. Time and time again have we seen corporations depriving low-income people of their rights, whether it be food, water, and healthcare. Without net neutrality, we might as well add the Internet to their list.

The Internet, especially in recent years, has been the catalyst that has propelled many political movements and discourses into mass popularity. Should net neutrality be gutted, telecom companies would have the authority to limit what its subscribers see. A union openly criticizing Verizon or a social justice group that the CEO of Comcast personally disagrees with could utterly be censored by these providers. Some on Tumblr, a social network owned by Verizon, are reporting that this is already happening, with their calls to protect net neutrality being deleted by its parent company.

What we’re up against is a strenuous challenge. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, whom also should be noted as a former lawyer for Verizon, is consistently twisting the narrative on net neutrality. Pai is on record saying that Twitter is inherently biased because he personally receives more backlash for his opinions online than others, even tying it to authoritarianism in North Korea.

Well, Chairman Pai, I hate to break it to you, but welcome to the free and open internet.

What Pai is doing is yet another tool of manipulation that those on the right use: twist the narrative by victimizing themselves, and using it in turn as a scapegoat to manipulate the masses into supporting disastrous plans.

Chairman Pai and his Big Comms goonies at the FCC need to know that they will not get away with depriving a now-sacred tool of its freedom. There are several ways to help amplify the voice to preserve net neutrality to the FCC before the December 14 vote:

Call the FCC at (202) 418-1000, and leave a voicemail for Chairman Pai or for any of the other board members below.

Of the five members of the FCC board, three of them are in favor of abolishing net neutrality, but the good news is we only need to change one person’s mind to secure it. You can also flood their emails as well. The three men are Chairman Pai at ajit.pai@fcc.gov, Michael O’Reilly at mike.oreilly@fcc.gov, and Brendan Carr at Brendan.carr@fcc.gov.

The fate of a free and open internet is at stake. You reading articles like these on this very site for free could possibly be a thing of the past. Join the fight in the name of the net.