March 7, 2017

The Honorable Ajit Pai
Chairman Federal Communications Commission
445 12th St SW Washington, D.C. 20536

The Honorable John Thune Chairman
U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation
Washington, D.C. 20510

The Honorable Bill Nelson
Ranking Member U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Chairman Pai and Senators Thune and Nelson,

Protecting net neutrality is crucial to ensuring that the internet remains a central driver of economic growth and opportunity, job creation, education, free expression, and civic organizing for everyone. The principles of net neutrality – that all data on the internet should be treated equally, and internet service providers (ISPs) should not discriminate or provide preference to any data, regardless of its source, content, or destination – are the foundation that has made the internet the engine of opportunity it is today. The continuation of net neutrality is essential to the continued growth of the country and to ensuring access to social, political, and economic empowerment for all.

In 2015, millions of people made their support for net neutrality clear in comments to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) supporting the Open Internet Order. The order, which reclassified broadband internet under Title II, enshrined the principles of net neutrality in law, and gave the FCC the authority to enforce it. As a result, broadband providers cannot block users’ access to content, slow down connections to services, or charge for speedier delivery of preferred content.

Since the order went into effect, broadband infrastructure investment is up, ISP revenues are at record highs, and businesses continue developing innovative ideas and offerings. A 2016 report found that the total capital expenditures of ISPs increased by 4 percent and that total revenues increased by 5 percent from 2014 to 2015. Moreover, we consistently see businesses innovate and create new ways to provide fresh content and better services to consumers.

We, the undersigned organizations, representing a diverse group of consumer, media, technology, library, arts, civil liberties, and civil rights advocates and content creators, urge you and your colleagues to oppose legislation and regulatory actions that would threaten net neutrality and roll back the important protections put in place by the FCC in 2015, and to continue to enforce the Open Internet Order as it stands. Net neutrality supports and protects these basic values:

● Competition: Net neutrality helps to ensure that all companies, from small startups to larger companies, have equal access to consumers online. It allows companies to fairly compete for customers within their market and incentivizes the development of new services and tools for consumers. This competition is the engine of the U.S. economy, and should be promoted.

● Innovation: Net neutrality makes it possible for new companies and new technologies to emerge and ensures that broadband providers do not create undue burdens and cost barriers that can harm small businesses and undermine job growth.

● Free Speech: Net neutrality ensures that everyone with access to the internet can organize and share their opinions online equally, a key safeguard for our democracy. It ensures that ISPs are not arbiters of speech and expression online by favoring particular forums or providing enhanced access to specific content and audiences.

● Equality of Access: Net neutrality ensures that access to websites and content is based on individual preferences. This means content creators are not forced to pay ISPs for content distribution in order to reach consumers. It also means that end users are able to access all the content they desire without restrictions from ISPs. This allows all people in the U.S. to access essential healthcare services, educational resources, and employment opportunities and the freedom to choose from the full spectrum of online content. It means that a small church staffed by volunteers has the same opportunity to reach the public as a large media corporation with an unlimited budget. At a time when there is bipartisan agreement in Congress that we must increase internet access to all people and bridge the digital divide, the quality of this access is just as essential.

In order to promote continued economic, social, and political growth and innovation, it is imperative that the internet remain open and accessible to all people in the future. We strongly urge you and your colleagues to protect the free and open internet and the benefits it provides to for all people.

Sincerely,

WITNESS

(see the full list of signatories here)

Photo courtesy Glimpse from the Globe.

That next year, as the importance of eyewitness video was elevated to the national conversation, WITNESS was founded with the mission of equipping communities on the frontlines of abuse with cameras and training to help expose violence and work for justice.

Today, eyewitness videos continue to be at the heart of the global conversation about police violence, and WITNESS remains committed to standing with those working to document and end this abuse. We know that awareness does not always lead to justice. Through our Caught on Camera: Police Violence in the United States project we worked to challenge assumptions about the role of video in attaining accountability for abuse, and point to ways filmers, advocates, journalists, and the justice system can use video effectively for change. And we are partnering with communities from Ferguson to Rio de Janeiro to create multilingual resources to equip people anywhere to document police abuse safely and effectively.

As we mark the 26th anniversary of this brutal incident, and the struggle against police violence continues, we are reminded of the crucial role of eyewitness video as a tool to expose abuse and demand accountability.

Thursday, February 16, 2017
6:00pm – 7:30pm
Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College
47-49 East 65th Street (between Park and Madison Avenues)
New York City

For 40 years the Saharawi people have been caught between two harsh realities: life in desert refugee camps and life under Moroccan occupation. These realities go largely unreported, and the voices of those living in Western Sahara go unheard. Moroccan authorities deny entry to foreign journalists and strictly prohibit press freedoms in the territory. Despite the media blackout, courageous Saharawi media activists document life under occupation. Watching Western Sahara curates and shares videos from Saharawi media activists. These videos provide a rare window into the day-to-day life of Saharawi people who take risks to expose human rights abuses in Western Sahara.

Please join us for a viewing of these videos and a panel discussion which will contextualize the footage, providing insights into the realities of the often silenced Saharawi and the human rights implications in what a UN commission considers the last colony in Africa.

PANELISTS INCLUDE:

• Amy Goodman, Host of Democracy Now!
• Madeleine Bair, Managing Editor, Watching Western Sahara
• Sandra Lynn Babcock, Clinical Professor of Law, Cornell University
• Mohammed Ali Arkoukoum, President of the Saharawi Association in New York
• Katlyn Thomas, former Chair of the United Nations Committee of the New York City Bar Association 
• Eric Goldstein, Deputy Director, Middle East and North Africa Division, Human Rights Watch(Moderator) 

Click here to RSVP

WITNESS is proud to cosponsor this event together with the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College, the Hunter College Human Rights Program, and FiSahara.

Dear President Trump,

As leaders who have spent our careers pioneering innovative solutions for many of our nation’s and the world’s most entrenched challenges, we write to express our unequivocal disagreement with your Executive Order issued on January 27, 2017, which banned individuals from seven majority-Muslim countries from entering the United States. We believe the order violates one of America’s most closely-held values to block entry to a targeted minority, whether comprised of temporary visitors, immigrants, or refugees. This is especially true for those who live on the edge of survival in war zones and refugee camps and have waited for years to call this great country their new home.

Groups like ours exist to help lift up the poorest and most marginalized with innovative solutions. In our opinion, this ban will make our work to foster peace, sustainability, opportunity and inclusiveness much harder. This action has unfortunately intensified fear, bigotry, and division in communities across our nation and the world, giving our organizations still more challenges to overcome. It has also decreased trust of Americans as we travel — it conveys that America is a country that no longer values diversity but operates from a place of prejudice.

We believe that immigrants and visitors from these nations should be allowed into the US to help increase the efficacy of the work we do to build peace and prosperity both at home and around the world. Collectively, we employ tens of thousands of people, and we have always found that the most powerful solutions for societal ills only emerge with the intimate involvement of those whom we work to serve. Diversity is the lifeblood of social, economic, and political progress, and policies that impede this value weaken our ability to innovate and implement social change.

We fear that such policies limit opportunity, inclusion, and our nation’s opportunity to engage with the world. We stand with the millions of people around the globe who have joined hands in resistance to efforts to sow fear and create false divisions along the lines of religion, ethnicity, country of origin, gender, or any other degree of difference.

You have expressed skepticism about the government’s abilities to solve problems alone, so we hope you will listen to the voices of those of us who lead organizations on the front lines of social change each and every day, using business best practices and often partnering with government. We respectfully request, Mr. President, that you do not deny us the right of welcoming people, regardless of their religion or nationality, to our shores. We must continue to communicate the values of inclusiveness and opportunity for all, values that our nation has always worked hard to live and to model.

Your fellow Americans,

Yvette Alberdingk Thijm, WITNESS

(For full list of signatories, check out the original post from the Skoll Foundation on Medium here.)

Photo: copyright Geoff Livingston

*originally published with 256, signatories number updated February 13, 2017. Peter Gabriel signed onto the letter February 15, 2017.