Save the Internet
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| Save the Internet | |
|---|---|
| Name | Save the Internet |
| Formation | 2006 |
| Type | Advocacy coalition |
| Purpose | Net neutrality advocacy |
| Headquarters | United States |
| Region served | Global |
Save the Internet Save the Internet is an advocacy movement formed to defend principles of open access, non-discrimination, and equal treatment for online traffic on the Internet. Emerging in the mid-2000s, it brought together activists, technology firms, civil society groups, and policy advocates responding to actions by telecommunications companies and regulators. The movement influenced debates in national and international fora including the Federal Communications Commission, the European Commission, and multistakeholder venues such as the Internet Governance Forum and the World Summit on the Information Society.
Background and Origins
The movement traces roots to debates sparked by carriers like Comcast, Verizon Communications, and AT&T engaging in traffic management practices and disputes over broadband discrimination in the early 21st century. High-profile incidents such as the Comcast BitTorrent incident and regulatory decisions by the Federal Communications Commission catalyzed coalitions linking organisations including Free Press (organization), Electronic Frontier Foundation, and Public Knowledge. Internationally, parallel efforts connected to actions by the European Commission and national regulators like the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission broadened engagement. Influential figures and institutions across technology and policy—ranging from engineers at Google and Mozilla to academics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University—provided technical framing and empirical research that underpinned advocacy.
Campaign Goals and Principles
At its core, the campaign insisted on principles of non-discrimination and transparency rooted in earlier regulatory frameworks such as Title II of the Communications Act of 1934 as interpreted in contemporary rulemaking. Advocates called for clear rules to prevent paid prioritization, blocking, and throttling by dominant broadband providers including CenturyLink and Time Warner Cable. The agenda intersected with concerns addressed by international bodies like the International Telecommunication Union and civil society coalitions such as Access Now and the Internet Society. Policy proposals referenced precedents from regulatory regimes in the European Union, legislative efforts in the United States Congress, and rulings in courts like the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.
Major Advocacy Organizations and Movements
The campaign network included diverse organizations: public interest groups (Free Press (organization), Public Knowledge, Common Cause (United States), Center for Democracy & Technology), digital rights NGOs (Electronic Frontier Foundation, Access Now), academic centers (Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society, Oxford Internet Institute), and tech firms (Netflix, Twitter, Facebook, Amazon (company), Microsoft). Grassroots movements such as those coordinated by MoveOn.org Political Action and student groups at Harvard University and University of California, Berkeley amplified calls for regulatory action. International partners included European Digital Rights, Digital Rights Ireland, and regional coalitions in Latin America and Africa.
Key Legislative and Regulatory Battles
Battles centered on rulemakings at bodies like the Federal Communications Commission and legislative proposals in the United States Congress such as the debates over the Open Internet Order (2015) and subsequent rollback under the Restoring Internet Freedom Order. Legal challenges reached the United States Supreme Court and circuit courts, while the European Parliament and national telecom regulators contested frameworks in the European Union single market for electronic communications. Advocacy also responded to municipal broadband initiatives in cities like Chattanooga, Tennessee and SandyNet (Oregon), and to mergers involving Comcast and Time Warner Cable addressed by the Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Justice (United States).
Public Awareness and Mobilization Strategies
Tactics combined digital campaigns, coalition briefs, and street-level organizing. Platforms included petitions coordinated with Avaaz, astroturf counter-efforts, and targeted ad buys involving firms linked to Facebook and Google. High-visibility actions involved op-eds in outlets such as the New York Times, testimony before the United States Congress, and multimedia campaigns featuring public figures associated with TED Conferences and technology conferences like SXSW. Academic papers from institutions like Carnegie Mellon University and think tanks including the Berkley Center informed policy debates. Litigation strategies engaged law firms with experience before the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and international arbitration in trade contexts invoking entities like the World Trade Organization.
Criticisms and Opposition
Opposition came from major broadband providers (Verizon Communications, Comcast, AT&T, Charter Communications), industry trade groups such as the CTIA and National Cable & Telecommunications Association, and voices in legislative bodies like the United States Senate advocating light-touch regulation. Critics argued that aggressive regulatory classification under Title II could deter investment, referencing analyses from consultancies and think tanks like the American Enterprise Institute and Heritage Foundation. Some civil society actors debated trade-offs between strict non-discrimination rules and incentives for infrastructure investment, citing comparative regulatory regimes in the European Union and market experiences in countries such as South Korea and Japan.
Impact and Legacy on Internet Policy
The movement substantially shaped policy discourse on net neutrality, influencing rulemakings, judicial outcomes, and corporate conduct. It contributed to the adoption of enforceable open internet rules in several jurisdictions and inspired enduring networks of digital rights advocacy across continents, linking organizations such as Access Now and Electronic Frontier Foundation to ongoing fights over platform governance, privacy, and competition. The legacy persists in legislative proposals, regulatory filings at the Federal Communications Commission, and scholarly work at institutions like Yale Law School and Columbia Law School analyzing the balance between competition policy, spectrum allocation, and consumer protection.