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Showrunners Urge FCC to Keep the Internet Free

May 14, 2014  •  Post A Comment

Top television writers and producers sent a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler on Tuesday urging him to “keep the Internet free and open,” reports the Los Angeles Times.

The letter was signed by more than 240 showrunners and creators, including Shonda Rhimes of “Grey’s Anatomy” and Chuck Lorre of “Two and a Half Men.”

“The open Internet is the greatest technological catalyst to participatory democracy and free speech since the printing press," the letter says. "That’s why totalitarian states around the world try to control it.”

The letter was drafted at a time when the FCC is proposing net neutrality rules, with critics concerned that the plan would create two tiers of service, providing preferential treatment for corporations, the story notes.

The letter adds: “If Net Neutrality is neutered, the Internet will become like cable television. A few corporate gatekeepers such as Comcast will be allowed to decide what content consumers can access and on what terms. The danger is that blocking, discrimination and paid prioritization could occur.”

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