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Indiana,
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In the spring, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission proposed rules that would have gutted the free and open Web. Under its original proposal, we would have seen the emergence of a two-tiered Internet -- a fast one that benefits the few companies that can afford to pay; and a slow one for the rest of us.
Our year-end fundraising campaign helps secure the resources we need to keep the pressure on for net neutrality. Don't wait until the last minute, donate today.
Fast forward to a few weeks ago, when President Obama announced his support for clear, enforceable rules to protect net neutrality. We're nearing the end of a long, sustained fight to get strong, effective protections for net neutrality. Momentum is now on our side. Now it is time to take it to the finish line.
A lot happened in the six months between the FCC's new rules announcement and Obama's show of support. He pointed out that the public commented nearly four million times demanding that the FCC support full net neutrality. More than 300,000 of those comments were by phone -- at one point reaching 1,000 calls per minute. The FCC's website crashed more than once because of all the traffic.
It was the biggest show of public engagement the FCC has ever seen -- all demanding strong net neutrality. Mozilla was in the thick of it. When this policy fight started I got on a plane to Washington D.C. to meet with decision makers to drive home what's at stake for Internet users like you and me. Imagine a world where a small handful of powerful companies decide what information is available and accessible on the Internet. Or, a world where someone else chooses what you should (and shouldn't) see on the Internet. Or, a world where you can no longer access your favorite website because it's not part of the suite of content offered in your area.
The public outcry sent a strong signal to decisions makers: There's a lot at stake, and we are watching. As we gear up for 2015, we know we have millions of people behind us. If you donate now to our year-end fundraising campaign, you're helping make sure we have the resources we need. Plus, if you give now, we won't send you another fundraising message this year.
This net neutrality battle is about protecting the core ethos of the Internet, it's what we've been working so hard for here at Mozilla for the past 10 years. When the dust clears, whatever happens with net neutrality will have global implications. We have to do all we can.
The Internet community is leading the way. It quickly responded to the threat to net neutrality, mobilizing itself for a long, sustained fight -- from small business owners to librarians told their stories of why net neutrality was important to them. People saw the debate for what it really was -- a few cable company goliaths trying to hoodwink the mainstream public and change the nature of the Web.
We'll continue pushing until we win. We get there with your help and connecting directly with core decision makers. It's a strategy that's working, but we're not done yet. Help protect net neutrality in 2015 by donating to Mozilla's year-end fundraising campaign before December 31st.
In the 25 year history of the Web there have been moments when the masses have stood up to the powerful forces that seek to control it.
This is our moment to save the Internet as we know it, and the President's focus on the issue demonstrates that we are on the right path to win strong, enforceable rules to protect net neutrality. We will continue to stand with our community to see this through in 2015. I hope you'll support Mozilla with a donation before our year-end fundraising campaign ends.
Thanks for all of your support,
Denelle Dixon-Thayer
Senior Vice President of Business Affairs, Privacy and Policy
P.S. - This is Mozilla's biggest, most important fundraising campaign of the year. The deadline to give is midnight December 31st. Don't wait -- it's easy to make a secure donation online in just a few minutes. Thanks so much for all that you do.
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