Organizers determined to hold most of the rallies outside of Verizon cell phone stores. Ajit Pai, the FCC Chairman who is managing the agency’s charge to revoke network neutrality, is a former Verizon lawyer, and Verizon has been a commentator of the Obama network neutrality rules.
News visited protests in Washington DC, New York, and San Francisco.
The protest that got the greatest attention from FCC resolution makers took place on Thursday evening in Washington DC. The FCC was keeping a dinner event at the Hilton on Connecticut Avenue, just north of the city’s Dupont Circle area. Protestors found on the street corner outside the hotel, waving pro-net neutrality bills to traffic, blaring chants, projecting pro-net neutrality messages on a raising across the street, and telling personal stories about what net neutrality proposed to them via a megaphone.
The FCC’s two Democratic administrators also joined the demonstration, Mignon Clyburn, and Jessica Rosenworcel. They both gave concise speeches to the protestors, rallying for the cause and discussing the value of a neutral Internet. You can watch their brief addresses below. In a brief interview with News afterward, Clyburn said she was confident about the future of net neutrality, though she added: “It may not happen overnight.”
In all, organizers said they required about 100 to 120 supporters to cycle through the event throughout the evening. They also elicited a lot of support from traffic passing by, with frequent enthusiastic honking and cheers from drivers.
News also attended two lightly attended protests in Washington DC earlier the same day. The first demonstration, held near Dupont Circle at 9 am, attracted just three protestors. One of the protestors, Oliver Covington, told us he got up at 5 am to catch a 6:30 am train into the city in the position to make the protest.
Take your time to comment on this article.
