Like Fandom? International Consumer? American Net Neutrality Rules Do Affect You. Here’s Why & How You Can Help

Are you involved in a fandom? Do you log onto a site called archiveofourown? Do you use Tumblr? Do you watch youtube videos? Do you use wikipedia when you are writing a fanfic and need to know a ton of information? Do you use a site called storenvy to find fandom related merch? What about etsy? Like gmes and use Steam? WoW? Battle.net? Are you a German artist who has a solid American following? Do Americans consume any of your fanfic, fanart, webcomics, original art or fiction? 

This will hit you in sales, lack of fan produced content, or removal of fandom websites

Nonprofit organizations like Ao3 rely entirely on donations of the consumers. That site will not be able to sustain itself when ISPs are squeezing it for premium fast lane prices. You will not enjoy it when its broadband is constantly overtaxed because it cannot afford premium prices. This will at best, just annoy you and you will have to try again and again to even get into the site. At worst, it will close the site. The American fanfic writer though? They may not even have access to the site anymore because they cannot afford to be “granted access” to it and will no longer produce content for you to enjoy. Tumblr is owned by Verizon, a company so excited to see net neutrality laws done away with. If you think American content producers will escape the premium price pay-walls on this site, you’re wrong. If you think Verizon won’t find ways to also hit you, you’re wrong. The very nature of the internet is globalized. What hits America, trickles into the international markets. Every site and every example I put in paragraph one will see dramatic changes, some of them will just outright end. The most immediate change you will see is fandom changing for Americans. No more American produced fanart, no more American produced fanfic. At least from those who cannot afford it. You better hope your favorite American fanfic author is rich. This is not even a party line issue. Americans across the BOARD do not want this. We are screaming at the FCC. We must KEEP screaming.

Here is what you can do to help. Email the FCC. You don’t need to tell them you’re international. You don’t even need to give them a last name, or just go ahead and makeup a pseud if you’re scared. Mind you, they know when an account is a spam account or a bot, so DO NOT USE THOSE. Remember, these are American governmental persons. They are not serial killers. They will not track you down and kill you in the middle of the night. You can even use what I wrote out on my own.

Ajit Pai - [email protected] (he is the champion of this and will unlikely change his vote but you should still tell him why he’s wrong)

Mignon Clyburn - [email protected] (Will vote NO)

Michael O'Reilly - Mike.O'[email protected] 

Brendan Carr - [email protected] 

Jessica Rosenworcel - [email protected] (Will vote NO)

[Introduce yourself, tell them happy holidays]

Please vote no against repealing Title Two Net Neutrality rules. These rules protect small business, non-profit organizations, individual American citizens. Repealing the rules will hinder American investment globally. Small businesses will cease to exist. in an online forum. Americans may be cut off from the international world. We do not want this. We have flooded your comments, we have created petitions. We have shared Facebook statuses. We have spoken and we say no. You as an agency must look out for the American people, not for a select few deep pockets. The American people say no. A competitive market is not an expensive market.

Again, do not repeal Title Two Net Neutrality rules.

[Insert salutations end]

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