FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 30, 2018
Contact: Robert Cruickshank, 831.402.2365, robert@demandprogress.org
The following statement may be attributed to Demand Progress Campaign Director Robert Cruickshank:
"Californians just moved one step closer to a major victory for net neutrality, democracy and grassroots activism -- and rejected a steady stream of misinformation coming from telecoms desperate to block an extremely popular bill."
"SB 822 is one of the most important pieces of legislation to come out of Sacramento this year. It will serve as a national model for how to save net neutrality. It will prohibit ISPs from blocking content, slowing certain sites or services, or charging new fees for users and companies to reach audiences online."
"Demand Progress members made hundreds of calls to State Senators over the last two months urging passage of the bill. A clear message was delivered to legislators that their constituents depend on net neutrality for news, entertainment and speech, and that their communities' small business owners rely on it for their livelihoods. Constituents stepped up their calls this week when it became clear that Big Cable executives and their lobbyists were spreading misinformation about the bill and the importance of net neutrality protections for consumers."
"The California State Senate has stood up to misinformation and deep-pocketed corporate lobbying, but the battle is not over yet. Demand Progress will continue to mobilize Californians to show Assemblymembers that SB 822 is the obvious choice to save net neutrality, a policy supported by an overwhelming majority of voters from both parties."
"While we work to get Congress to overturn the FCC and restore net neutrality protections, it is extremely important that the world's fifth-largest economy take a leadership role in protecting internet freedom and standing up for users, including small and local businesses."
###