Fund the Fight!
Free Press has launched an urgent,
all-out push to accomplish
two big goals
in the fight for your rights to
connect and communicate.
Scroll down to learn more.
#1Get the FCC to scrap
its flawed Internet plan and
protect real Net Neutrality
Get the FCC to scrap its flawed Internet plan and protect real Net Neutrality
The Federal Communications Commission is considering rules that would give Internet service providers the power to discriminate online, creating fast lanes for the few who could afford the extra fees ... and slow lanes for the rest of us. If the FCC approves this plan, corporate gatekeepers will decide what we can do and where we can go online.
Public support for Net Neutrality has skyrocketed. Millions of people have taken action: They’ve rallied in the streets, filed record-breaking numbers of comments at the FCC, and made the case to their members of Congress. And more and more politicians are speaking out for real Net Neutrality.
One thing is clear: The public wants the FCC to ditch its rules and safeguard the open Internet.
In July, Free Press members rallied outside two Obama fundraisers in California. A week later, the president voiced strong support for Net Neutrality.
To win real open Internet protections, we need to mobilize even more people to take action — and we need to do it fast.
#2 Stop the
Comcast-Time Warner Cable
merger
Stop the Comcast-Time Warner Cable merger
Comcast, the nation’s No. 1 cable and Internet provider, wants to take over chief rival Time Warner Cable to the tune of $45 billion. If this deal is approved, Comcast — a Net Neutrality violator — will have unmatched power to raise prices, squash competition and reshape the future of the Internet.
The public hates the idea of this merger.
This deal would give Comcast a service area covering nearly two-thirds of the country. With this much power, Comcast can call the shots for the whole industry.
Free Press and our allies have rallied hundreds of thousands of people to file comments with the FCC, testify at hearings around the country, and participate in protests. In August, 65 organizations representing millions of people pushed the FCC to block the deal. In September, we rallied outside Comcast headquarters in Philadelphia. And in our detailed challenge to the merger, Free Press shredded Comcast’s faulty arguments.
Time is running out
The coming months are crucial: The FCC is poised to make major decisions that could be felt for a generation.
We need to pull off a huge public mobilization effort without any donations from business, government or political parties — we don’t take their money.
Your Support Matters. A Lot.
Donate today and double your impact: If we raise $100,000, generous donors will kick in another $100,000.
DonateTop 3 Things We’re Up Against
Wealthy + Powerful Opponents
The biggest phone and cable companies (and their trade associations) spent more than $53 million lobbying Congress and the FCC in the first six months of 2014. Comcast alone is paying more than 200 lobbyists to push through its merger.
Free Press, by comparison, has a staff of 23 people and a modest budget. We accept donations only from individuals and charitable foundations.
Astroturf + Lies
Companies like AT&T, Comcast and Verizon trade their “charitable relationships” for endorsements of bad policies and set up fake grassroots groups to spread lies and misinformation.
Free Press research and analysis consistently debunk our opponents’ spin campaigns and put forward viable policy solutions that serve the public interest.
Out-of-Touch Policymakers
FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler and the other commissioners spend too much time listening to lobbyists — and not enough time listening to the public. It’s been more than five years since all five FCC commissioners left Washington in an official capacity to meet with real people.
That’s why Free Press is pushing for opportunities for policymakers to hear directly from the public — not just big corporations.
How Your Gift Will Help Us Win
Thanks to Free Press’ growing base of 900,000 members, we’ve made tremendous strides in spite of the David-vs.-Goliath odds we face.
But to win, we need to do more: We need to make it politically impossible for policymakers to mess with the open Internet and support harmful mergers.
Click below to learn what your gift will help us accomplish:
Pressure the FCC
Pressure the FCC
Free Press staff will testify at the FCC, meet with decision-makers and continue to build our case for Net Neutrality and against the Comcast-Time Warner Cable merger.
We’ll also push the White House to pressure the FCC. We’ll be meeting with top Obama administration officials to point out the gap between what the president says he wants in terms of Net Neutrality and what the FCC is actually proposing to do.
At each step along the way, we’ll put forward arguments that expose corporate misinformation, basing our policy recommendations on facts, sound legal analysis and what’s best for everyday people.
Activists stationed a giant digital billboard outside the FCC on Sept. 15.
Get Congress on Record
Get Congress on Record
We’re mobilizing millions of people to call and write their leaders in Washington, and many of our members are making the case for Net Neutrality in person. In partnership with our allies, we’ve visited more congressional offices this year than ever before.
We’ve already helped persuade more than 60 members of Congress to speak out in support of Net Neutrality. We organized a big lobbying day in September and have appeared alongside senators at press conferences on Capitol Hill and in their home states.
In early July, more than 100 Vermont residents attended Sen. Patrick Leahy’s Judiciary Committee field hearing on Net Neutrality.
Rally in the Streets
Rally in the Streets
We’re on a roll right now: We organized a string of big rallies in Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C., and we’re helping activists coordinate events in their own communities. We’re also organizing field hearings in various cities around the country — and we’ll invite FCC commissioners and other key policymakers to hear firsthand what the public wants.
Mobilize Online
Mobilize Online
Alongside our Battle for the Net allies, Free Press launched the Sept. 10 Internet Slowdown — one of the biggest online protests ever. More than 10,000 websites participated, including big names like Netflix, Etsy, Kickstarter and Tumblr. On that single day, Net Neutrality activists sent more than 2 million emails to Congress and logged nearly 300,000 calls (driving 1,000 per minute during peak hours). And 777,364 people filed comments with the FCC on that day alone. By the time the FCC comment period closed on Sept. 15, a record-breaking 3.7 million people had filed comments.
We’re cooking up other innovative actions to inspire even more people to take up the twin causes of saving Net Neutrality and stopping the Comcast-Time Warner Cable merger.
Raise New Voices
Raise New Voices
If we lose Net Neutrality protections, many people will get pushed to the margins online. That’s why we’re working with our growing roster of allies to mobilize people from diverse communities to speak out. The more voices our movement brings to the debate, the stronger we’ll be.
Shape the Debate
Shape the Debate
We’ll continue to influence the public narrative through an aggressive press strategy that amplifies the voices of the communities these issues impact most. Since January our team has had more than 3,000 press hits in publications including the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, the New Yorker, the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post. Our Op-Eds have appeared in major outlets like USA Today, and we’ve made appearances on CBS, CNN, NPR and PBS.
Fund the Fight!
To win on these two crucial campaigns, we need your help right away.
Your support will help us expand the movement and boost our power to convince the FCC to do the right thing. And by strengthening the movement today, your gift will help us sustain the fight far into the future.
Make your most generous gift. Remember, every dollar you donate will get us closer to matching our $100,000 challenge. Thank you!
Illustration Credits:
Icons from the Noun Project: Megaphone designed by Stefan Brechbühl, wireless designed by Ema Dimitrova, protest designed by Andrew Schatz, money designed by Luis Prado, CEO designed by Mark Bult, hourglass designed by Laura Beggs, Congress designed by Martha Ormiston