Important, please read.....

[Homicidalheathen]

Hi Windy R,

Congress is considering legislation that would sell our public airwaves to big corporate interests, and in the process prevent communities from using them to offer low-cost wireless Internet access to their less affluent residents.

Urge Congress to protect community access to the public airwaves!

High-speed Internet access shouldn't be a luxury few can afford. It's a tool that's practically a necessity in our everyday lives - helping us to pay bills, stay informed, find educational and job opportunities, research medical care, keep in touch with friends and family - the list is endless.

But many lower and middle income Americans lack this critical tool because giant media companies won't provide high-speed Internet access to certain areas or charge prices that the average household cannot afford.

Despite these obstacles, many communities are developing solutions to bridge this "digital divide." In Utah, they're building one of the nation's largest publicly-owned fiber-optic networks. Aptly named UTOPIA, this open network will give households and businesses more choices, lower prices and better service.

But even as many local governments work to develop community Internet programs, Congress threatens to derail these innovative projects by considering legislation that would sell our public airwaves to big corporate interests. If the public airwaves are auctioned off to the highest bidder, it would prevent communities from using them to offer low-cost wireless Internet access to their less well-off residents. The legislation would allow giant media companies to retain total control over the market for Internet services.

It's clear that limiting broadband Internet access to the wealthiest consumers would enrich a handful of big media companies, but at what cost to our communities? Wider access to high-speed Internet service benefits us all, by improving economic and educational opportunities for a larger number of households.

Urge Congress to protect community access to the public airwaves!

Thank you for taking action today!

- Dawn Sanders

Care2 and ThePetitionSite team

Link:

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/...&ltl=1132098482

[Jarodaka]

Congress is selling off the airwaves? Sweet! Does this mean the FCC will finally be gone? That would be nice.

Communities are 'taking matters into their own hands'? That's rich. How do you think this infrastructure will be handled? Either the local gubberments take money from other services (haha, yeah, right), charge for the Internet access, or raise taxes. Guess who payes taxes? oh yeah.

I've been on the Internet. I wouldn't say it raises educational opportunities so much as kills time or keeps me from watching TV. Either way, it's hardly the panacea for social ills this petition is making it out to be. Yes, look at me widening the gap between rich and poor as I post on DGn at 2:30am.

[The_Dark]

Thats seems to totally ignore the work being done to replace the old copper main trunks with fiberoptices... it also ignores all the fiber networks being installed all over the country. The end result of all that is broadband access no matter where your at.

Does it really matter who owns the airwaves? It's not like you can get online without paying some big company for the access now.

and my last point.. The Internet is not a Right, it's a privalidge.

[Onyx]

I wouldn't say it raises educational opportunities so much as kills time or keeps me from watching TV.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I most definitely disagree. My kids can and do use it for homework, research. bartleby.com has volumes and volumes of classics to read (and we do). True, it can be a giant waste of time, but it is also the worlds largest research library, right at your fingertips.

I edit medical reports from home thanks to high speed internet (increased my production immensely due to decreased sound file download time). Saves me daycare expense and I just *like* it.

I believe increased access to broadband can and does help the economy and education levels.

*sigh* All you silly young gothlings! Some of you are too young to remember what life was like without the net. It was horrifying. We had to go to the library to do homework! Argh! Through ten feet of snow. Uphill both ways.

*hobbles off on cane*

[Jarodaka]

*sigh*  All you silly young gothlings!  Some of you are too young to remember what life was like without the net.  It was horrifying.  We had to go to the library to do homework!  Argh!  Through ten feet of snow.  Uphill both ways.

*hobbles off on cane*

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Oh no, I remember. I'll concede that there is much value to be gained form having regular Internet access -- it'd be a bit silly to deny that -- but having subsidized gubberment access is asking for more trouble than it's worth.