Portland Indy Media Center, March 27, 2007

I just receive an automated telemarketing call asking me to warn Oregon Sen Gordon Smith (why only Smith? Wyden is at least as sleazy...) AGAINST support of "net neutrality" because according to the telemarketing speaker "net neutrality" would mean that "consumers would bear the cost of enhancements and expansions to internet" ...

... and ABSENT net neutrality, according to the telemarketing, "big corporations like yahoo and Comcast" would bear these costs.

Receiver of call is than asked to press "1" (I think it was) to leave what they said was to be a personal voice message to Smith saying that you DON'T WANT NET NEUTRALITY because NET NEUTRALITY means only "higher costs to consumer" without consumer benefit.

I think I left a message for Smith strongly supporting net neutrality as a matter of general democratic principles and opposition to the developing Corporate feudalist police state.

What I fear that the deliverers of this political telemarketing scam are doing is harvesting internally all of the consumer contributed voice messages ATTACKING NET NEUTRALITY and sending them along to a stable of legislators etc while erasing all other messages.

While it's not a real solution, I nonetheless urge you to contact Smith and all other civil servants on ANY ISSUE that you think is inimical to democracy and the public interest as you see it.

Sample campaign in recent portland indymedia entry.

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