The following statement is attributed to Gigi B. Sohn, president and co-founder of Public Knowledge:
“Secretary Clinton is to be commended for raising Internet Freedom to the level as a major element of our foreign policy. Her speech this morning served to highlight the incredible benefits that come from a free, interconnected network. We couldn’t agree more with her statement that, ‘Ultimately, this issue isn't just about information freedom; it's about what kind of world we're going to inhabit. It's about whether we live on a planet with one internet, one global community, and a common body of knowledge that unites and benefits us all.’
“At the same time, we should be aware of the benefits of an open Internet and telecommunications network must be protected domestically as well. While Secretary Clinton commented on the benefits of text messaging as a means of expression abroad, there are no legal protections for text messaging here. We urge the FCC to act on our petition to provide legal protections for the content of text messaging and short codes. We also urged the Commission to guarantee through Net Neutrality or other means that domestic content on the Internet cannot be degraded by carriers favoring the content of some over the content over others.”
Members of the media may contact Communications Director Shiva Stella with inquiries, interview requests, or to join the Public Knowledge press list at shiva@publicknowledge.org or 405-249-9435.