NCC Communication Commission urges protection of net freedom

["Philip Jenks" <pjenks@ncccusa.org>]

>Church communicators urge FCC
>to protect freedom of the Internet

See: http://www.ncccusa.org/news/101018netneutrality.html

Washington, October 18, 2010 -- Communicators representing a wide 
range of  national church bodies have called upon the Federal 
Communications Commissi on "to take any and all action" to protect 
the freedom of the Internet.

Noting that Internet communication is "vital" to faith groups as they 
share  their stories and build communities, the National Council of 
Churches Comm unication Commission has issued a resolution urging the 
FCC to "protect the  freedom of every individual and group to see and 
hear and send any informa tion they desire."

The Commission is composed of professional communicators from the 
NCC's 36  member communions and other faith groups. The members have 
historically s upported freedom of communication in all media, 
including the Internet, but  some have expressed concern that the FCC 
is not moving quickly enough to g uarantee that freedom through 
federal regulation.

"Faith communities have experienced uneven access to and coverage by 
mainst ream media," the Commission declared, "and wish to keep open 
the opportunit y to create their own material describing their faith 
traditions."

The FCC must "guarantee network neutrality applicable to all types of 
techn ology used by citizens to access Internet communications 
services, both wir ed and wireless, and equally applicable to the 
Internet services provided b y telecommunications providers, cable 
providers, wireless mobile Internet a ccess providers, and any other 
type of technological access to Internet ser vices," the Commission 
said.

The resolution included a preamble quoting Dr. Hamadoun Touré, 
general se cretary of the International Communications Union, who 
said broadband acces s is a "basic civil right."

>The full text of the resolution follows:

Resolution on Network Neutrality and Internet Freedom
by the Communication Commission, National Council of Churches USA

Whereas, the people of our communities of faith rely heavily on the 
Interne t as a means to communicate, share experiences, and build 
community;
Whereas, many of our faith communities, which also are nonprofit 
organizati ons with relatively small budgets, rely on the Internet as 
a public platfor m for free speech, equal opportunity, outreach to 
their members, and minist ry and social service to local communities 
in need;

Whereas, faith communities have experienced uneven access to and 
coverage b y the mainstream media, and wish to keep open the 
opportunity to create the ir own material describing their faith and 
traditions;

Whereas, as faith communicators, we see every day the vital 
connection betw een a free and fair communications system and the 
achievement of important  social justice goals;

Whereas, if vital net neutrality protections are not assured by the 
FCC, la rge for-profit companies providing Internet services may have 
a commercial  incentive to favor their own content over others and as 
a result could limi t the activity and equal access of members of 
faith communities and other n on-commercial organizations online;

Whereas, we believe the only way to carry out this mandate is for the 
FCC t o ensure that the National Broadband Plan guarantee network 
neutrality appl icable to all types of technology used by citizens to 
access Internet commu nications services, both wired and wireless, 
and equally applicable to the  Internet services provided by 
telecommunications providers, cable providers , wireless mobile 
Internet access providers, and any other type of technolo gical 
access to Internet services;

Whereas, network neutrality principles will allow the full diversity 
of voi ces to flourish and will be the principle that will make 
broadband access a  meaningful self-empowerment tool driving 
achievement of these broad social  goals;

Therefore, we jointly urge the Federal Communications Commission to 
take an y and all action to adopt network neutrality, including 
reclassification of  broadband services as a telecommunications 
service, as a fundamental and n ecessary part of the framework for 
all forms of broadband Internet service  that will protect the 
freedom of every individual and group to see and hear  and send any 
information they desire.

>---

Since its founding in 1950, the National Council of the Churches of 
Christ  in the USA has been the leading force for ecumenical 
cooperation among Chri stians in the United States. The NCC's 36 
member faith groups -- from a wid e spectrum of Protestant, Anglican, 
Orthodox, Evangelical, historic African  American and Living Peace 
churches -- include 45 million persons in more t han 100,000 local 
congregations in communities across the nation.

NCC News contact:  Philip E. Jenks, 212-870-2228 (office), 
646-853-4212 ( cell), pjenks@ncccusa.org