The Open Web and the Fight for Net Neutrality

Dozens of companies and activists – including heavy hitters like Google, Facebook, Netflix, and Automattic – have banded together through the internet-wide day of action to publicly protest the US Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC) attack on net neutrality.

The protest – which will take place tomorrow, July 12 – will sound the alarm about the attack on net neutrality that aims to roll back regulations established in 2015.

What is Net Neutrality?

The current regulations, known as Title II, restrict Internet Service Providers (ISP) from slowing or blocking any site or application across the web.

In other words, it creates a level playing field on which individuals and small organizations have the same opportunity to be heard as large corporations and governments.

The internet-wide day of action will bring awareness to the attack on net neutrality – which ensures that all internet users have equal access to internet with no exceptions for those able to pay.

Net neutrality helps fuel innovation, and without it, the internet as we know it is at risk. As an open source project, WordPress has yielded the benefits of an unrestricted, free and open web. Losing Title II could threaten its growth, innovation, and jeopardize the future of the project.

How to get involved

To participate in what is shaping up to be the biggest internet protest to date, you can begin by signing a pledge to show your support.

WordPress site owners can install either the Internet Defense League Cat Signal plugin or the Fight for the Future Alerts plugin. Both will create a pop-up mimicking a slowdown, and urging people to contact their government officials about the potential roll back.

The pop-ups won’t appear until July 12, so you can set up and activate today in preparation. If you would rather make your own alert specific to your site, the protest group has made the code available on GitHub.

The group is also urging supporters to share a blog post or make a video. You can use the provided language or graphics for guidance.

Social media will also play a huge role in spreading the word about net neutrality. If you aren’t a site owner or don’t want to add the plugin, you can still participate by showing your support on Facebook or Twitter. You can opt-in to a Twitter module that will tweet at key moments throughout the day, or use the prepared Facebook post.