Net neutrality advocates feeling momentum

WASHINGTON – Democratic Sen. Al Franken jokes that he has been "toiling in the vineyards" since the early days on net neutrality.

But since Franken's wide-margin re-election victory this month, the labyrinthine principle that essentially promises all Internet traffic and speeds should be treated equally is finally getting some spotlight love.

Shortly after Election Day, President Obama came out in full support of the concept and released a video and a statement. "We cannot allow Internet service providers to restrict the best access or to pick winners and losers in the online marketplace for services and ideas," Obama said, calling the Internet "one of the most significant democratizing influences the world has ever known."

In Minneapolis, Naomi Williamson just wants people to see her menus.

The owner of Sanctuary Restaurant said she runs a small operation and could not afford to pay higher Internet rates for a "fast lane" to keep her simple website, with its easy-to-download menu. If the web could operate at several speeds — with moneyed businesses being able to buy in to a higher speed — Williamson said she would be at a disadvantage when competing against a large chain that would be able to afford it.

"It's hard enough to stay visible," she said. "It doesn't affect me today, but I think the Internet should be a utility and anybody who comes to my website should get the same speed."

Bolstered by the president's support — and ostensibly Franken's re-election — a fledgling grass-roots lobbying force across the country among small and medium-sized businesses has seen renewed life this month. Even state and local governments — including Minneapolis — are getting in the mix, posting statements on Twitter and on websites supporting the concept.

At issue is a pending decision by the FCC — likely to come out in 2015 — that will decide whether Internet service can be regulated under the same Title of the Communications Act used to regulate telephone service, including mobile voice services. Some net neutrality advocates, including Franken, think that's a way to protect the regulatory agencies from a slew of legal challenges from Internet service providers, which are fighting for the right to create various "fast lanes" for certain clients.

"I kind of knew why this was a difficult subject to get people's attention on; it's something you care about or you just don't," Franken said, adding with a bellicose laugh that "the bumper sticker for net neutrality is 'Continued on the next Bumper Sticker.' "

He says, however, that he feels momentum now.

The battle for net neutrality has been fought in courtrooms ever since the original FCC protections were thrown out this year. When the agency said it was going to rewrite rules surrounding the issue, 3.7 million people commented officially to the FCC. According to Franken, 99 percent of the commenters favor treating the Internet like a utility, which means Internet service providers (ISPs) such as Comcast would be unable to charge more for so-called fast lanes that would offer higher speeds to those who paid more.

Franken said that ISPs are "the only ones with an interest against" net neutrality.

The issue has become more partisan of late. Texas GOP Sen. Ted Cruz recently called net neutrality the biggest regulatory threat to the Internet. "Net neutrality is Obamacare for the Internet," Cruz wrote, noting that "the Internet should not operate at the speed of government."

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce also issued a statement after Obama's endorsement, saying that treating the Internet like a utility is "antiquated." ISPs are investing tens of billions of dollars annually to upgrade their networks in order to allow higher speeds and greater capacity, the statement said.

It's unclear when the FCC will unveil its plans, but Chairman Tom Wheeler told reporters Friday, according to the Washington Post, "I want to move forward on open Internet rules with dispatch. … I also want to have open Internet rules that are sustained. And that's the process we're going through."

Chris Hanson owns a small company in Minneapolis that provides nonprofit organizations and small governments Web-based software. He is also president of the board of the Twin Cities Metro Independent Business Alliance. He has been spreading the word about the importance of net neutrality.

"I don't think the general public is aware of the significance with regard to their daily lives," he said. "If you talk to younger people, they take affordable available access to the Internet as a given. I don't think it's even in their mind that something could be in jeopardy that has always been there for them."