| As I mentioned, the CDP affirmed their support for net neutrality this weekend with a strong resolution that reflected the concerns of both labor interests and the progressive movement. Brad Parker of PDA (Progressive Democrats of America) commended the process in the Sunday session as proof that the Progressive Caucus and the more institutional elements of the CDP can work together. On that score alone, it's a win.
The best part, by the way, was that Speed Matters (the CWA's astroturf campaign) spent major dollars creating a glossy brochure that they put on everybody's seat this morning, and it included what they thought would be the resolution. Biggest waste of money I've ever seen. Ha!
As for how to translate this into policy, since after all it is merely a nonbinding resolution, that's what I'd like to address. These resolutions sit on some corner of the CDP website and collect e-dust. They have no meaning unless they are publicized. So here's what I propose.
Every Democratic member of Congress and the state legislature should be getting calls this week. You should say, "Hello, I'm a constituent, the California Democratic Party just passed a resolution supporting the preservation of a free and open Internet. I would like (the congresscritter) to abide by the wishes of his/her party and support any legislation codifying the principle of net neutrality. If you would like to look at the text I can fax it to you." Let's hold our representatives to the demands of the Party they represent, as well as their constituents.
The preservation of a free and open Internet is critical to the continued innovation and entrepreneurship of this country, as well as the free flow of information needed for a well-informed citizenry and the rights to free speech and freedom of assembly. We can move this forward in California. We know that, at the state level, Mark Leno sought to introduce net neutrality legislation back in February. That needs to return next year and we need to organize around it right now.
This can also work for other resolutions, especially the one on parole and sentencing reform that passed this weekend. Really they are completely useless unless publicized in this manner. Let's allow them to have some impact, otherwise the hard work crafting them and managing them on the Resolutions Committee goes to naught, and nobody wants that.
On the flip, I've added the resolution text if you want to fax it to your legislators. Please call Congress and the State Legislature today. |
| Support of Affordable High Speed Internet for America and Internet Neutrality (it’s actually Network Neutrality –ed.)
WHEREAS to secure the rights of assembly, and free speech online, which are guaranteed by the Constitution and encourage new innovative American businesses to flourish , Americans are entitled to and require open, equal and impartial Internet access; we need high speed internet for our homes, schools, hospitals and workplaces to grow jobs and our economy; enable innovations in telemedicine, education, public safety and government services; foster independence for people with disabilities and strengthen democratic discourse and civic participation and;
WHEREAS the United States – the country that invented the Internet – has fallen from first to sixteenth in internet adoption; US consumers pay more for slower speeds than people in other advanced nations; millions of Americans, especially in rural and low income areas do not have access to affordable, high speed broadband; then United States alone among the advanced nations has no national, Internet policy; the US definition of “high speed” at 200 kilobytes per second (kbps) is too slow and has not changed in nine years: the US and California collections of broadband data does not tell us what we need to know about broadband deployment, adoption, speeds and prices and consumer and worker protections must be safeguarded on high speed networks and;
WHEREAS the growth of a free and open Internet has provided historic advances in the realms of democracy, free speech, communications, research and economic development; California and US consumers are entitled to and require open, unfettered access to the lawful Internet content of their choice without interference by any entity, public or private; build out of universal, high speed, high capacity networks will promote an open Internet by eliminating bandwidth scarcity;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the California Democratic Party endorses national, state and local policies to promote affordable, high speed broadband for all with strong protections for consumers and the workers who build, maintain and service those networks; and a national goal for universal access and deployment of network capable of delivering 10 megabytes per second downstream and 1 megabyte per second upstream by the year 2010 and the California Democratic Party supports federal and state initiatives to improve data collection on high speed broadband deployment, adoption, speed and prices as a necessary first step; upgrading the current definition of high speed to 2 megabytes per second downstream, 1 megabyte per second upstream and policies that promote public programs to stimulate build out of high speed networks to all home and businesses in the nation and;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the California Democratic Party in order to promote vigorous free speech, a vibrant business community, and unfettered access to all information on the Internet, supports policies to preserve an open, neutral and interconnected Internet; protect against any degradation or blocking of access to any websites for content on the Internet and insure consumers have the right to free email; encourages build out of high speed networks to all homes and businesses so that everyone can go where they want and upload or download what they want on the Internet as a public utility maintained by union workers.
Submitted by the
Labor Caucus of the California Democratic Party
Progressive Caucus of the California Democratic Party |
