Twitter backs FCC's net neutrality proposal stating it is 'core to its DNA'
Twitter has endorsed the internet neutrality proposal that The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is set to vote on tomorrow, saying it will “put vital consumer and competitive protections back on the books to ensure an open internet and continue US leadership in internet policymaking”.
In a blogpost published earlier today, Twitter shared its support for the policy which would allow for the continuation of free speech online. It would also ensure that major internet providers, such as AT&T, Comcast and Verizon, would give users access free of discrimination and that they wouldn’t create faster or slower connections based on content of a website.
The proposal was written in response to the public outcry received after FCC chairman Tom Wheeler created a plan last year that gave internet providers the right to implement “pay-to-play fast lanes.”
There was huge public and political backlash to this proposal, thus forcing Wheeler to create the net neutrality proposal earlier this month, which gives internet users ultimate protection under the law.
“Twitter and its millions of users are counting on Washington to reaffirm net neutrality rules for their obvious and myriad benefits to the internet ecosystem, to the economy, and to freedom of expression,” Twitter public manager Will Carty wrote in the blogpost.
"...Empowering 'lesser' or historically less powerful voices to express themselves and be heard globally is at the core of Twitter’s DNA," he added.
The #NetNeutrality vote is THIS WEEK! Sign @Mozilla’s petition to show your support: http://t.co/xlTds8FrH0 pic.twitter.com/LhF1tJMPmB
— Firefox (@firefox) February 22, 2015
It's great to see companies like @Yelp taking a strong stance in favor of Net Neutrality. http://t.co/1TKhZa5ckR
— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) February 19, 2015
Great #NetNeutrality piece by by @chaddickerson “Etsy CEO: How Net Neutrality Shaped My Life” https://t.co/PAeASpsEms
— Engine (@EngineOrg) February 23, 2015
While net neutrality has received support from various tech giants, there were more than 20 members of congress who opposed it, including Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, and Representative Peter King of New York.
In a YouTube video (above) released late last year, President Obama stated that a lack of net neutrality could threaten the very existence of the internet.