One Big Thing: Net Neutrality & You

It's not splashed across the headlines, but Net Neutrality is one of the most important political issues of our time. As of June 11, 2018, internet service providers (ISP) have significantly more control over how the public access the Internet. I'll skip the background, but there are some links below for folks who aren't as read-in on the issue. 

Take a step back and think about the US economy right now - and what it will look like in 5, 10, or 20 years. The most valuable companies in the US, and indeed around the world, are largely premised on the existence of a free and open internet. Giving ISPs the ability to slow down connections to certain sites, block content or services, and generally wield power over basic connectivity could (I'll be fair, for now, and use "could") have effects far beyond not being able to watch a certain streaming service on a certain ISP. 

It goes without saying that the freelance economy runs on remote connectivity, but the more traditional, permanent employment, economy increasingly does as well. According to a study from Upwork, 63% of US companies have remote teams and a majority of hiring managers think remote work is becoming more commonplace. The US economy already depends heavily on a free and open Internet, and that's only going to increase.

Plus, just look where it's gotten us so far! I know this is the part where you may think, "Yeah, but Twitter's full of trolls, and Facebook is..." and so on, but spare me. The Internet has empowered billions, and it can empower billions more. 

The FCC's decision to gut Net Neutrality is painfully misguided, but, luckily for us, FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai (@AjitPaiFCC) doesn't get the last word here. What he's done is disgraceful, and it's telling that the Indian-American community, which tends to claim proximity to almost every Indian in the news, has not stepped up to claim him at all. Congress can - and should - pass a Net Neutrality law, and we should all get together and make them do it now.

First things first, follow Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) on Twitter. She's a tireless advocate of so many great causes, and has worked hard to not only educate people on Net Neutrality, but also to activate them. If you really want to get involved, she's likely supporting a group that would love the help.

Here are some more resources:

❓ What is Net Neutrality? - A good explainer/Q & A from the ACLU
👨🏽‍💻 Write to Congress, call your reps, and get involved here
📲 Here's a short video that gets to the core (potential) effects of the new FCC policy

Let's get this turned around, get Congress to take meaningful action, and be focusing on how to get more people online and connected to the world, not fewer.   

- Sree 

One small thing: If you'd like to discuss sponsoring the Sunday Note, have a job you'd like to get out there, or an announcement you want people to see, just reply to this email or write to sree@sree.net and let's talk. Of course, there's a discount for being an early supporter. We also have a Sunday Note Patreon!

Sponsored Content
Read Something (for free!) 📖

Getting an emergency message to the public means more than just knowing the password to your Twitter account. Doug Levy's book, "The Communications Golden Hour", goes through the questions you need to answer so that you choose the right words and right tools when every minute counts.

If your job includes crisis or emergency communications, this is for you. It's all about how to prepare for any situation so that you use the right words and tools when minutes count. The Kindle version is available for free worldwide today only (June 24)! Get it here.

Subscribe to Something ✅

I got a nice email from my former Columbia J-school student Wilson Rothman (@wjrothman) last week - the launch edition of The Wall St. Journal's new tech news email blast. It's a really good roundup of what's happening across the tech sector, but I especially like the reader Q & A bit - great way to give readers a voice. Read it and sign up here. 

Listen to Something 🎧

Our collective memory, at least how it's represented digitally, is growing more and more short-term. The world was shocked by the sudden death of Anthony Bourdain, but it already seems like it happened years ago. 

Marc Maron (@wtfpod) had Bourdain on his podcast in 2011 and, put simply, it's both of them at their best. Listen to the episode here.

For good podcast ideas, follow my SreeTips FB page. Every Sunday, we do "Sunday Sounds" where we showcase a selection of can't-miss episodes. If you have or know of a podcast you want us to feature, drop us a note: sree@sree.net.

Watch Something 📺

The discussion around automation tends to focus on the future of work, not the future of politics. But, the two are deeply intertwined, and industrial automation is already having a deep effect on on our politics. Intelligence Squared hosted a debate between Ian Bremmer (@ianbremmer) and Yascha Mounk (@Yascha_Mounk) on one side, and Alina Polyakova (@apolyakova) and Andrew Keen (@ajkeen) on the other, that focused on the future of democracy in the age of robots. 

Coming Up

Our Best Today, Our Better Tomorrow