IP Democracy: Groups Jostle to "Save the Internet"

As I mentioned, MoveOn.org has a campaign to “Save the Internet,” designed to support net neutrality regulations. Jeff Pulver has a viral marketing contest to “Save The Internet.” He wants folks in favor of net neutrality to send in creative ideas that help advance the ball.

Send us short, creative ideas — videos and other Internet-based gimmicks — that you think might effectively communicate to government that they must write rules to enable us the Internet innovators to transform the Internet and communications experience.

Meanwhile, it looks like a completely separate campaign has been launched by FreePress to “Save the Internet.” Like MoveOn.org’s initiative, FreePress is asking people to sign a petition. The group claims it has a wide-ranging coalition backing it, including the American Library Association, Consumers Union and Gun Owners of America (huh? how’d they get in there?).

Pundits are already starting to take sides. ZDNet’s Russell Shaw proclaims MoveOn.Org’s campaign “naive” (because the only legislators likely to be influenced by it are those already in favor of net neutrality) and embraces Jeff Pulver’s idea.

I can’t say for sure whether all these groups are pulling together or not…Pulver clearly isn’t working with MoveOn.org or FreePress. MoveOn.org is part of the Free Press coalition, and the petitions by both groups are almost the same.

Posted by Cynthia Brumfield on April 21, 2006 11:02 AM to IP Democracy