[Occupymendocino] Fwd: Responding to your message

[DANIEL BAKER]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: U.S. Senator Kamala Harris <donotreply_harris at harris.senate.gov>
Date: Tue, Jan 23, 2018 at 3:39 PM
Subject: Responding to your message
To: blackdantheman100 at gmail.com



January 23, 2018



Dear Mr. Baker,

Thank you for reaching out to express your support for net neutrality. I
share your enthusiasm for the freedom and openness that have made the
internet so successful.

Nearly fifty years ago, California researchers built a prototype of an
interoperable computer network. Today, that network is the internet—an
engine of unprecedented innovation, creativity, and prosperity. The
internet has transformed our society, connecting us with loved ones,
enabling entrepreneurship on a level playing field, and providing instant
access to a global audience. A free and open internet is a powerful tool,
particularly for historically disadvantaged communities. Anyone can use the
internet to make their voice heard, regardless of their gender, the color
of their skin, who they love, or where they were born. And any business, no
matter how small or new, can use the internet to connect with consumers and
thrive.

Since the dawn of the commercial internet, the federal government has
played an important role in ensuring that internet service providers don’t
get to pick winners and losers among websites, applications, content, or
devices. You do. That was the policy of both the Bush and Obama
administrations. I believe that remains the right policy.

In 2015, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) resolved a
longstanding legal ambiguity about whether that policy was enforceable, and
it adopted commonsense rules to protect the internet’s openness. Those net
neutrality rules, called the Open Internet Order, established that your
provider could not block, slow down, or otherwise interfere with lawful
online services. Those rules guaranteed that the online marketplace remains
a level playing field, where you—not your cable company or wireless
carrier—got to choose the next global sensation.

The Trump administration’s FCC recently voted to attempt a radical
regulatory reversal—eliminating the agency’s enforcement authority,
repealing all the substantive net neutrality rules, and perhaps worst of
all, preventing states like California from establishing their own net
neutrality protections. I believe the administration’s approach is wrong
for consumers, wrong for innovative businesses, wrong for content creators,
and wrong for anyone else who counts on internet access. This is a giveaway
to the cable and telecom industries, plain and simple.

As your senator, I will continue to fight to protect net neutrality. I
encourage you to do the same, and to continue making your voice heard. We
won this battle once before, and we can win again. The internet is one of
California’s greatest gifts to the nation, and to the world. As
Californians, I believe we have a special responsibility to safeguard the
internet’s freedom and openness. This battle is far from over.

Once again, thank you for sharing your thoughts with me. If you have any
further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to call my
Washington, D.C. office at (202) 224-3553.

Sincerely,

Kamala D. Harris
United States Senator
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