Last month, Congress voted to repeal FCC rules that would prevent internet service providers from selling your personal web browsing and app usage data. It was a decision that’s unpopular across the country, regardless of party affiliation. If the politicians that voted in favor of the reversal thought no one would notice, there are some big ass signs in their districts that say otherwise.
You’ll notice that all of the people chosen for the first round of billboards are Republicans. That’s not because of some sort of bias, it’s because Republicans were the only ones who voted for the repeal of the FCC rules. Here’s a full list of the people who sold you out and the amount of money it cost to get them to do it. The only person on the list who hasn’t taken money from telecoms (on the record) is Senator Larry Strange. Strange was appointed to replace Senator Jeff Sessions when he became attorney general in February. He also might be in some trouble for violating campaign finance laws. But c’mon, how could you not trust a man named Luther Strange.
The last time that attacks on the open internet occurred, the legislation was killed by a grassroots campaign that was partially organized by Fight for the Future. More than 40,000 websites joined in FFTF’s internet slowdown protest. The renewed push to kill net neutrality has been a bit more under-the-radar this time around. There are a lot of things to be outraged about and it’s tough to keep up. But hopefully, as lawmakers start seeing their faces alongside the figures for their legal bribes, they’ll start having second thoughts.
