Washington, DC – Rock the Net, a nationwide campaign to prevent legislation that threatens access to legal and diverse online music and media options, received major support in a teleconference yesterday featuring Rep. Jay Inslee (D-WA), Chair of the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications, and musician Matt Nathanson, who also headlined a sold-out concert at Seattle’s Crocodile Café the same night.

Joining Nathanson and Insleee on the teleconference were net neutrality supporters Nabil Ayers, co-owner of Seattle’s Sonic Boom record stores and independent record label The Control Group and Jonathan Lawson, Executive Director, Reclaim the Media. Also participating in the call was Future of Music Coalition Policy Director Michael Bracy.

“Net neutrality” is the idea that all websites, services and content should be equally accessible on the Internet. Some Internet service providers have proposed charging a fee to content providers to make their sites load faster. Doing so would make it harder for fans to access independent music and cultural programming, and could put independent radio, record labels and musicians at a disadvantage against corporate content providers.

FMC has posted an audio MP3 of the full teleconference at: http://www.futureofmusic.org/audio/FMC.rockthenetseattle103007.mp3

Select quotes from the teleconference:

Rep. Jay Inslee, D-Wash, member of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet and co-sponsor of the Network Neutrality Act of 2006:

“We can’t allow phone and cable companies to hijack the Internet, which has been such a success due to its open architecture.  Telecom companies shouldn’t be picking winners and losers among online content.  That has been, and always should be, up to Internet users.”

Musician Matt Nathanson:

The internet is an aspect of everything I do, from rallying reps across the country to selling CDs or on digital platforms. As the music industry weakens, it gets harder for indie musicians to reach people. The reason people are coming to shows is 100 percent because of the internet. I don’t how I’d do this job without it. And it’s not just for my business, but for my community. An open internet has become essential to daily living. For anyone to impose monetary restrictions this freedom is absurd.

Jonathan Lawson, Executive Director, Reclaim the Media:

Network neutrality is an issue about our basic freedom to communicate. It’s also a fight for the soul of the Internet. At their best, broadcast media and public communications tools like the Internet encourage and support our free speech rights, giving everyone opportunities to speak for themselves and to hear speech from a wide range of other voices. Recent developments in Internet and wireless devices have dramatically increased many people’s (though not everyone’s) access to self-publishing, broadcasting, and participation in large-scale public conversations.

Net neutrality will protect our free speech rights by making sure that anyone online can join these conversations, visiting the smallest video blogs or streaming radio stations just as easily as the largest corporate-backed web sites. It will prevent powerful Internet companies like AT&T, Verizon and Comcast from rigging the playing field to benefit only the highest-paying big business sites. These companies have made it clear that they don’t want a level playing field, and have spent millions lobbying against net neutrality legislation. They want to separate traffic artificially into fast and slow lanes, and charge premiums for the better service. They also want to be able to slow down or block political messages they don’t like, as we saw happen with the recent AT&T/Pearl Jam incident.

Just as media ownership caps help protect diversity of opinion by guarding against information monopolies, “net neutrality” protections are what we need to guarantee that the Internet remains a truly level playing field for dialogue, culture and politics.

Michael Bracy, Policy Director, Future of Music Coalition

It’s been consistently proven that when Big Media is allowed to do whatever it wants, diversity disappears from the marketplace, stifling entrepreneurship and leaving consumers frustrated. Since its inception, the internet has grown into a truly democratic tool for everyone, particularly musicians. But if certain massive telecom companies get their way, this could all change. Rock the Net is a way for those in the music community to come together in support of network neutrality. We need to make it known that a return to the old bottlenecks that kept musicians from connecting with listeners will not be tolerated. The internet is for everyone, not just the big players.

Nabil Ayers, owner of Sonic Boom record stores and independent record label, The Control Group:

Without net neutrality, I’m concerned that the Internet will unavoidably reshape itself into toll-guarded tiers of accessibility. For retailers, the best access to customers will cost the most — and the big companies that are able to pay will capture the largest share of consumers. That will lead to further concentration of choices about what gets promoted and what gets sold, and will put even more pressure on small businesses like Sonic Boom. We may thrive in our niche, but unless net neutrality is preserved, we’ll be forever locked into a second-tier status in an unjust system.

Discovery is part of the joy of experiencing music — we see this all the time at Sonic Boom. It also help drive sales, whether in our stores or online. The most important thing is that fans and retailers have the opportunity to engage on an equal playing field without artificial limits on accessibility. That’s what net neutrality provides, and why it should be protected.

Rock the Net founding bands include:

R.E.M.• Pearl Jam • Ted Leo • Boots Riley • Death Cab for Cutie • OK Go • Bob Mould • Calexico • Kathleen Hanna • The Donnas • Jerry Harrison • John Doe • Les Claypool • Kronos Quartet • Jimmy Tamborello • Street to Nowhere • The Locust • Rogue Wave • Guster • State Radio • Matt Wertz • Griffin House • Matt Nathanson • The Wrens

Since its launch, over 750 bands and 155 independent labels have joined the campaign. More information can be found at http://www.futureofmusic.org/rockthenet/ and http://www.myspace.com/fu...

Tuesday evening’s Matt Nathanson show was one in a series of concerts around the country that will include Rock the Net materials and petitions, as well as tabling by local media reform and civil rights groups, organized to raise awareness about network neutrality and to encourage citizens to connect with local media groups.

About the Future of Music Coalition

Future of Music Coalition is a national non-profit education, research and advocacy organization that identifies, examines, interprets and translates the challenging issues at the intersection of music, law, technology and policy. FMC achieves this through continuous interaction with its primary constituency — musicians — and in collaboration with other creator/citizen groups.

About Reclaim the Media

Reclaim the Media is a small, Seattle-based nonprofit organization dedicated to pursuing a more just society by transforming our media system and expanding the communications rights of ordinary people through grassroots organizing, education, networking and advocacy. We envision an authentic, just democracy characterized by media systems that inform and empower citizens, reflect our diverse cultures, and secure communications rights for everyone. We advocate for a free and diverse press, community access to communications tools and technology, and media policy that serves the public interest.