Victory for Net Neutrality — Let’s Take It Across The Finish Line

Today, we heard that we've won a stunning victory in the fight to protect net neutrality. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has put forward a draft proposal for strong, enforceable net neutrality rules based on classifying broadband as a Title II communications service.

We are on the cusp of meaningful protection for the free and open Web. In the remaining days before the official vote on February 26th, policy makers will be subject to intense pressure from the cable and telecom industry lobby. So we need to keep working. To get net neutrality across the finish line, Mozilla is launching a campaign that enables our community to stand together and send a strong signal to Washington, DC policy makers.

The FCC's proposal is consistent with what we all wanted. It reclassifies broadband as a Title II communications service, giving the FCC the authority to prohibit blocking or slowing down content - in essence, ISPs will not be able to create Internet fast lanes for the few big corporate giants that can afford it, and slow lanes for the rest of us. The world is watching, and the decisions reached in the U.S. will influence the global policy approach.

But victory is never guaranteed.

There are a handful of powerful interests in the cable and telecom industry that want to control both what is possible and what is imaginable on the Web. They are scared of net neutrality because they want to decide what we see and what we can do. They set the rules to dominate the market while stifling the innovation and opportunity of the Internet economy. They are the gatekeepers. We are the customers. And they've set their lobbyists loose on Congress to raise false arguments, to stall progress, and to get the FCC to back down. We can't let them do this.

Ahead of the vote on February 26th, Mozilla is launching an effort to take net neutrality across the finish line by mobilizing our community and ensuring that policymakers hear their voices loud and clear.

We've created a new, urgent petition that you can sign, so that your message - along with those of everyone else who speaks out - is sent directly to members of Congress. We've also joined forces with Fight for the Future, Demand Progress, and Free Press - key partners of ours in Stop SOPA and StopWatching.US - to enable our community to call their representatives of Congress. We will roll out this tool in the coming weeks as we get closer to the vote. We're raising awareness across all of our major Firefox and Mozilla channels.

Taking on Goliaths is what the Mozilla community was born to do. The fight for choice in browsers; the fight to protect people's privacy from government and corporate surveillance - these are the fights that have tipped the scales towards a Web where people have freedom and control.

Here we are - at another big tipping point for the Web. With days to go, this is our last chance to speak out before the FCC votes. Please stand with us.