Today, the Open Internet Order goes into effect. Many business owners, entrepreneurs, and economists are praising the order as a win for the economy. But there’s an unexpected voice in the chorus of praise: America’s faith leaders.
As a Christian and Sikh, we are celebrating the Open Internet Order, because the communities we serve cannot flourish today without an open and free Internet. The order codifies principles that have governed the Internet in the U.S. for decades. It keeps the Internet an open space for free speech, including religious expression.
In particular, the order bans carriers like Comcast and AT&T from blocking or slowing down websites at will – or charging websites for a faster connection to their users. If there were “fast lanes” online, most faith groups would not be able to pay the extra fees. Research shows that a slower connection speed even by 100 milliseconds causes people to click away. Left behind in the slow lane, it would be much harder for us to reach people.
That’s why we founded Faithful Internet, a place to share what’s at stake for faith communities. Here’s what we heard from America’s top faith leaders – five major reasons we defend the Open Internet Order.
1. Spiritual Life
In a time when traditional religious practice is on the decline, new generations are finding meaning and community online. “The open Internet has become essential for 21st century religious and spiritual life,” said Brian McLaren, Christian author and thinker. “People of faith are connecting, creating, praying, and organizing online.” In fact, online worship is vibrant in the United Church of Christ, Unitarian Universalist, and other denominations. Online communities need fast connections and high bandwidth, making them particularly vulnerable to being in the slow lane. The Open Internet Order protects the online dimension of religious and spiritual life as it continues to evolve.
2. Service.
Faith groups are central to our social safety net. They offer soup kitchens to the hungry, coat drives and blankets in blizzards, or candlelight vigils in the wake of tragedy. They need the Internet to run these services and raise money to sustain them. The order ensures that anyone with a website has an equal chance to reach people. That means that neither the corner mosque nor the mainline church will be forced to divert donations to pay for a better connection to hear and serve people in need. As Sister Simone Campbell, leader of “Nuns on the Bus,” told us: “Only through an open and free Internet can we hear the stories of those left out of our economy and outside our care.”
3. Prophetic Voice.
“As an American Muslim woman, I need the open Internet to dispel myths about my faith, tell my community’s stories, and preach courage in the face of injustice,” says Linda Sarsour, a Muslim activist. She is among a new generation of faith leaders reaching people through social media, blog posts, and online sermons. Conservative and progressive, these prophetic voices need protection. We’ve seen dangerous examples in Canada, the U.K., and Germany, where carriers – intentionally or inadvertently —slowed or blocked access to websites with content they disagreed with, including those that criticized their business practices. As FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler explained, here in the U.S., the Open Internet Order guards First Amendment freedoms online. That means prophetic leaders like Sarsour can continue speaking truth to power.
Read the full post at Sojourners.
- Publication Type:Other Writing
- Publication Date:06/12/2015