R.E.M., Neutral Milk Hotel, Britt Daniel, Kathleen Hanna & More Endorse Net Neutrality In Open Letter To FCC
In two days, the Federal Communications Commission is scheduled to vote on a number of sweeping internet regulations, which will regulate internet service providers as public utilities. They’ll also set standards on connection speed and pricing, and they’ll generally prevent internet users from being at the mercy of internet service providers. The measures are expected to pass by a partisan 3-2 vote, thanks largely to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, who’s recently come around on the net neutrality issue. Various Republicans are trying to stop or delay the vote, but the Future Of Music Coalition, a musician-advocacy nonprofit, recently posted an open letter in which a number of artists announce their support of Wheeler and of net neutrality. The list of artists who have signed the letter is long, and it includes all four former members of R.E.M., Neutral Milk Hotel’s Jeff Mangum and Astra Taylor, Spoon’s Britt Daniel, Kathleen Hanna, Jeff and Spencer Tweedy, Death Cab For Cutie, the New Pornographers, tUnE-yArDs’ Merrill Garbus, Speedy Ortiz, Jello Biafra, Ted Leo, Priests, and Radiator Hospital, among many others. […]