Net Neutrality and the eBay Community: A Call to Action
EDITOR'S NOTE: We and I'm sure all of eBay's 75 million users just received this "personal letter" directly from eBay's CEO Meg Whitman on the issue of "Net Neutrality." This is an important issue that we should all be aware of, as one way or the other it can potentially affect all of us. In essence, it's a bill currently in the House that seeks to prevent broadband providers from
offering an exclusive high-speed lane for video and other services.
The links to write your congressman or woman are www.house.gov and www.senate.gov...We digress...let's let Meg explain...[-R]
P.S. If anyone has e-mailed eBay and they've replied, forward us their responses as we would love to post them. Inquiring minds want to know...
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Dear Republica,
As you know, I almost never reach out to you personally with a request
to get involved in a debate in the U.S. Congress. However, today I feel
I must.
Right now, the telephone and cable companies in control of Internet
access are trying to use their enormous political muscle to
dramatically change the Internet. It might be hard to believe, but
lawmakers in Washington are seriously debating whether consumers should
be free to use the Internet as they want in the future.
The phone and cable companies now control more than 95% of all Internet
access. These large corporations are spending millions of dollars to
promote legislation that would divide the Internet into a two-tiered
system.
The top tier would be a "Pay-to-Play" high-speed toll-road restricted
to only the largest companies that can afford to pay high fees for
preferential access to the Net.
The bottom tier -- the slow lane -- would be what is left for everyone
else. If the fast lane is the information "super-highway," the slow
lane will operate more like a dirt road.
Today's Internet is an incredible open marketplace for goods, services,
information and ideas. We can't give that up. A two lane system will
restrict innovation because start-ups and small companies -- the
companies that can't afford the high fees -- will be unable to succeed,
and we'll lose out on the jobs, creativity and inspiration that come
with them.
The power belongs with Internet users, not the big phone and cable
companies. Let's use that power to send as many messages as possible to
our elected officials in Washington. Please join me by clicking here
right now to send a message to your representatives in Congress before
it is too late. You can make the difference.
Thank you for reading this note. I hope you'll make your voice heard today.
Sincerely,
Meg Whitman
President and CEO
eBay Inc.
P.S. If you have any questions about this issue, please contact us at government_relations@ebay.com.
Tags:eBay | Meg Whitman | Net Neutrality
