{"id":6885,"date":"2017-11-22T10:13:25","date_gmt":"2017-11-22T18:13:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=6885"},"modified":"2017-11-22T10:13:25","modified_gmt":"2017-11-22T18:13:25","slug":"net-neutrality-protesters-gear-fight-nuala-sawyer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2017\/11\/22\/net-neutrality-protesters-gear-fight-nuala-sawyer\/","title":{"rendered":"“Net Neutrality Protesters Gear Up For a Fight” by Nuala Sawyer"},"content":{"rendered":"
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On Dec. 7 a Verizon store on Market Street will be ground zero for net neutrality activists.<\/h3>\n

\"\"A protester at a White House protest to save net neutrality, Nov. 6 2014 (Photo: Stephen Melkisethian)<\/em><\/p>\n

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November 21, 2017 (SFWeekly.com)<\/p>\n

The fight for net neutrality will hit San Francisco early next month, as a massive, nationwide protest is scheduled for Verizon stores on Dec. 7.<\/p>\n

For the uninitiated: Net neutrality is something we all enjoy, but may not consciously\u00a0notice. As a society, we generally take for granted that websites, news, and other online information are\u00a0accessible regardless of the mobile carrier you pay each month, or the search engines you use. But as censorship looms, that freedom is under a serious threat.<\/p>\n

Verizon is the latest technology giant to play a role in killing net neutrality \u2014 thanks in part to Ajit Pai, the new chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, and a former lawyer for the cell phone company. In the past year, Verizon has spent millions on lawsuits and lobbying efforts to destroy net neutrality, and thereby up the fees for consumers.<\/p>\n

Now, those consumers and others in opposition to net neutrality are speaking out. One week before the FCC votes on its plan to kill net neutrality on Dec. 14, protestors are taking to the streets and to Verizon stores across the country.<\/p>\n

And unlike other protests that have taken place in 2017 \u2014 such as the well-intentioned but sadly vague Women\u2019s March \u2014 the demands are crystal clear.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re calling on our lawmakers to do their job overseeing the FCC and speak out against Ajit Pai\u2019s plan to gut Title II net neutrality protections and give Verizon and other giant ISPs everything on their holiday wishlist,\u201d the protest website states.<\/p>\n

And Mayor Ed Lee might even make an appearance. He sent out a statement Tuesday blasting Pai\u2019s efforts.<\/p>\n

\u201cFederal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai\u2019s plan to repeal net neutrality is the latest effort from this administration to favor the short-term interests of large corporations at the expense of the greater public good,\u201d Lee says. \u201cNet neutrality encourages entrepreneurship, provides educational opportunities, and connects communities across the globe.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile the FCC moves to repeal these crucial protections, San Francisco is joining cities across the country in exploring options to make the internet safe, affordable, and accessible for all our residents. The internet is an essential tool of today\u2019s society and under the current net neutrality rules, it is a powerful force for openness, freedom, and innovation. We must\u00a0continue to fight against<\/a>\u00a0the FCC\u2019s efforts to dismantle those principles,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

While passions will undoubtedly run high, particularly in a city as tech-hungry as this one, the protest organizers call for a reasonable understanding of who\u2019s actually in power here. \u201cPlease remember, this event is about protesting actions of Verizon executives, lobbyists and their supporters in Washington, not the employees at these stores,\u201d they state. \u201cPlease treat them with nothing but the utmost respect.\u201d<\/p>\n

San Francisco\u2019s Verizon protest will take place on Dec. 7 at 5 p.m., at the Verizon store at\u00a0768 Market St.<\/p>\n

More information about the protest can be found\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On Dec. 7 a Verizon store on Market Street will be ground zero for net neutrality activists. A protester at a White House protest to save net neutrality, Nov. 6 2014 (Photo: Stephen Melkisethian) November 21, 2017 (SFWeekly.com) The fight for net neutrality will hit San Francisco early next month,… Continue reading → <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6885"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6885"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6885\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6886,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6885\/revisions\/6886"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6885"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6885"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6885"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}