Promoted by Steven D. Joining the chorus of blogs who all agree this is corporate welfare at its worst.
The big telecom companies have lobbied hard for a bill in the House that’s designed to destroy the internet as we know it — and your reps will be voting on it Wednesday.
From Common Cause:
Telecommunications companies like AT&T and Verizon have lobbied Congress for the right to control where you go on the Internet, how fast you get there, and how much you pay for the service. On Wednesday, the House Commerce Committee will be voting on the absurdly-named COPE bill (Communications Opportunity, Promotion and Enhancement Act).
But the only “promoting” and “enhancing” this bill does will transform the Information Superhighway into a toll road, where only the rich get unfettered access to all that the Internet has to offer. The cable, phone and media interests that have poured nearly half a billion dollars into lobbying Congress over the past eight years get the perks they so desire.
Please call your House member today. Ask your Representative to vote NO on the COPE bill (and YES on Rep. Markey’s amendment supporting Network Neutrality): (202) 224- 3121 or www.house.gov
The vote is happening on Wednesday, April 26 so your calls are needed today.
The COPE bill would:
Place control of the Internet in the hands of few powerful corporations;
Transform the Information Superhighway into a toll road, where only the rich get unfettered access to all that the Internet has to offer;
Vastly increase special interest monopoly power;
End consumer protections against abuses by cable companies;
Allow cable and phone companies to raise the prices in poor neighborhoods, while giving special deals to the affluent;
Expand the “digital divide” that puts the poor, racial and ethnic minorities and rural families at a disadvantage; and
Stifle innovation and economic growth, because it will be too costly for any new Googles or eBays to draw customers to their websites.
Your Representative’s vote is critical to stopping this dangerous bill in its tracks. Please call today: www.house.gov
Just eight of the country’s most powerful communications companies and their trade groups have spent more than $460 million lobbying Congress to gain all the favors in the COPE bill. Millions of your voices are necessary to block it.
Please call your House member today. Ask your Representative to vote NO on the COPE bill (and YES on Rep. Markey’s amendment supporting Network Neutrality): www.house.gov
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