Network Neutrality: Not a Partisan Issue

[Commentary] Network neutrality is not a partisan issue, and the pains Daniel Henninger takes to make it one are embarrassing to witness (“Net Neutrality’s Babes in Toyland,” Wonder Land, March 12).

The Federal Communications Commission’s proposed rules don’t give the government control over the content that travels through our cables. Rather, they cement a relationship that has existed between content creators and service providers for decades, one that ensures data goes from source to destination without interference. With this trust in place, the Internet has become an economic powerhouse. It’s that trust, and the opportunities it provides, that we are fighting to preserve for future generations. Yes, Title II has been around for 80 years. The Bill of Rights has been around for 224. And like the Bill of Rights, Title II was written to preserve a set of public freedoms, not to constrict them. Henninger’s contempt for people whose politics are left-of-center—for people who agree with the Center for American Progress instead of Citizens United—has completely overridden his ability to understand what this fight is all about or the future we are trying to preserve. A future that 83% of self-identified conservatives also want to protect, according to a survey by the Internet Freedom Business Association.

I suggest that he consider the impact a free and open Internet has had over the last 30 years, and then ask himself if a corporately regulated medium like cable television could have ever done the same.

[Ari Shahdadi is General Counsel for Tumblr]