Today, on December 14, 2017, at 10:30 AM, Eastern Standard Time, the Federal Communication Commission has held its controversial vote to repeal the 2015 Title II Net Neutrality laws signed by President Barack Obama. Net neutrality, a concept that ensures a fair Internet environment for everyone without corporate or government interference, has been a thorn in the side of major ISPs like Verizon or AT&T.

The current head of the FCC, Republican Ajit Pai, has authorized this vote, despite facing a tsunami of critics and detractors (including myself) demanding him to stop. Notable supporters of Net Neutrality include Steve Wozniak (Apple co-founder), Tim Berners-Lee (inventor of the World Wide Web) Brewster Kahle (founder of the Internet Archive), Mitchell Baker (Mozilla Foundation chairwoman), and even some FCC members like Jessica Rosenworscel. 

Alongside congressmen and diplomats, ordinary citizens have also joined the protest through various websites like Battle For The Net,Reddit, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and right here on DeviantArt. People have made blogs, memes, journals, videos, and news articles all in favor of preserving Net Neutrality and canceling the FCC's vote. There have also been thousands of calls made to state and federal representatives urging Congress to oppose the vote. And yet, in the face of this massive scrutiny, Chariman Pai has said time and time again that he would not hold off the move to repeal Net Neutrality.

The ramifications of this vote aren't hard to see. Without laws protecting free Internet trade and consumer rights, large ISPs will be able to charge users for faster Internet lanes, or block out certain websites that they don't like. There are several websites that paint a fuller (and scarier) picture of what will happen after this vote passes. But--to make a very long story short--things don't look good for us up ahead.

Like you (assuming you're an average user), I am deeply disappointed that the FCC has decided to go ahead with this destructive vote against our wishes. I'm also frustrated (but not surprised) that Congress haven't taken the steps necessary to oppose the FCC's bill until it's far too late. Like you, I believe that the Internet should be a free, open environment where small users like myself can provide content and share beliefs without the interference of corporate greed. Like you, I protested on the street, posted blogs and links  on my Facebook page, and made several calls to my congressmen in Florida. Like you, I believe in Net Neutrality.

And that's why I'm about to tell you this right now:

DON'T GIVE UP.

NEVER give up. Never. Keep making your voice heard. Keep writing journals, or making videos, or posting lists, or calling congressmen. Keep protesting on the streets, or writing letters to the FCC. Keep exposing Ajit Pai for the greedy, corporate charlatan he really is.

What you're doing is right. KEEP DOING IT.

While this bill may hurt us for a while, the FCC's victory will only be temporary. Right now, there are still millions of people like you who hate the FCC's irresponsible acts. Democrats and NN supporters are drafting bills that will potentially reverse the FCC's vote.   News websites like Fortune are already predicting that legal advocacy groups like Common Cause and Public Knowledge will file several lawsuits against the FCC for this act.

We may have lost this battle, but we haven't lost the war.

Make no mistake, the war for Net Neutrality will not end with this bill. Nor will it end in our defeat. Protests will become louder; congressmen will get more involved; several more lawsuits will be filed; more people will get furious at greedy corporations impeding free speech. By passing this bill, the FCC are digging their own grave. I'm not saying it will happen overnight. It may take a year. It may take ten years. It may take a hundred. But we will have Net Neutrality again. As long as people like you still have the courage and integrity to keep protesting for what you believe in, we will win in the end.

To close this off, I'd like to post this video from FCC Commissioner and Net Neutrality supporter Mignon Clyburn: