WASHINGTON, DC — On March 11 and 12, OK Go members Damian Kulash and Andy Ross met with members of Congress to discuss net neutrality. On Tuesday, March 12, Kulash delivered rousing testimony complete with audio-visual accompaniment before members of the House Judiciary Committee, including Chairman John Conyers (D-Mich).
Monday afternoon saw Kulash and Ross perform a two-song acoustic set at a Hill briefing. Propping themselves up on a witness table, the two delivered energetic versions of their songs “Oh Lately It’s So Quiet” and the Internet sensation “Here it Goes Again,” which has garnered more than 35 million views on YouTube. Kulash described his band’s use of the open Internet to directly interact with fans. Senator Byron Dorgan stopped by to demonstrate his support for the cause.
Kulash, Ross and Future of Music Coalition also met with Rep. Ed Markey to further discuss the importance of Net Neutrality to musicians and fans. Last month,Markey joined with Rep. Chip Pickering (R-Miss.) to introduce the “Internet Freedom Preservation Act” (HR 5353), which would firmly re-establish crucial consumer protections in the Communications Act to ensure the Internet is open and free from discrimination.
Kulash’s testimony before the House Judiciary Committee — which included clips of the band’s homemade videos, as well as a fan-generated response — was both entertaining and informative.
Written testimony | Spoken testimony, including video links
“If people wonder whether the music industry will benefit from Net Neutrality they can look no further than us,” said Kulash. “There is a real consensus with us that Net Neutrality is good for music. I’m here to ask Congress today to preserve Net Neutrality and the future of the Internet.”
In addition to OK Go’s Kulash, the House hearing included Net Neutrality advocates from the American Civil Liberties Union and the Christian Coalition of America.
Chairman Conyers declared his support for the open Internet in his opening statements. “Congress should act to preserve Net Neutrality,” he said. “I am concerned that if Congress stands by and does nothing, we will soon find ourselves living in a world where those who pay can play, but those who don’t are simply out of luck. Let’s not get confused. If Congress acts, it will not be because we have decided to regulate. It will be because the Internet Service Providers have imposed their own new regulation on the Internet, and are interfering with its healthy growth.”
OK Go’s appearances coincided with the one-year anniversary of FMC’s Rock the Net campaign in support of Net Neutrality. Currently, more than 800 bands and labels are part of the initiative.
Future of Music Coalition is a national non-profit education, research and advocacy organization that seeks a bright future for creators and listeners. FMC works towards this goal through continuous interaction with its primary constituency — musicians — and in collaboration with other creator/public interest groups. More