Grab your pitchforks, it’s time for a final push to secure the freedom of the internet.

As you’ve probably heard, net neutrality is kind of a big deal. It’s one of those things that you’re either for or against (or you’re blissfully ignorant, in which case I’m glad you’re reading this). The good news is, the overwhelming majority of people are in favor of net neutrality. The bad news is, the people who are against it (mostly ISPs) have very deep pockets and would profit incredulously from its eradication…but more on that in a bit.

Let’s start from the beginning. What is net neutrality?  

Save the Internet, a site dedicated to doing exactly what their namesake suggests, defines the concept of net neutrality as, “the basic principle that prohibits internet service providers like AT&T, Comcast and Verizon from speeding up, slowing down or blocking any content, applications or websites you want to use. Net Neutrality is the way that the internet has always worked.”

As their definition alludes, net neutrality is not a single law. It’s not even a specific group of laws per se. Rather, it’s a concept backed up by the 2015 FCC ruling that reclassified broadband networks to make them more akin to phone networks. In other words, the internet was essentially deemed to be a modern necessity that could not be throttled or extorted by internet service providers or anyone else.

This ruling angered ISPs because it meant they couldn’t gouge their customers or big companies like Netflix and Google for even more money. Under the new classification, it became more or less illegal for ISPs to create “fast lanes” and quadrants where they could charge people more to access. And it’s important to understand that when people use the the term “fast lanes” that doesn’t actually mean that certain parts of the internet would become faster. It means that ISPs would deliberately make other parts slower.

Some of the people that would be hurt most if net neutrality was rolled back are small businesses. Theoretically, Amazon could be forced to pay Spectrum so that their site ran at normal speeds. Meanwhile, Luke’s Lemon Shop couldn’t afford to pay Spectrum and thus, access to their site would be slowed down.

On the user side, an absence of Net Neutrality could mean TV-style internet plans where you’d be forced to pay more to access certain sites or types of sites. Your basic internet might be $55/mo, but do you like streaming shows? You’ll have to pay an extra $15 a month to access Hulu, YouTube, Netflix and Prime. Enjoy playing games? Cough up $20 more to access Steam, Xbox Live and PS Plus. Social media? $15 more. And so on and so on.

And if you think this is a far-fetched and unlikely outcome, think again. The reason Obama pushed so hard for net neutrality a few years ago was because ISPs were beginning to try and pull these kinds of stunts.

And if you didn’t like Obama, you should be just as in favor of net neutrality as anyone else. Fox News, Briebart, that crazy guy that thinks Sandy Hook was a government cover-up, they all rely on an open net with an uninhibited flow of information. Access to foxnews.com and the lot could cost an extra $30 dollars.

Net neutrality is a nonpartisan issue. Literally the only people who benefit from it are ISPs and those who are in the pockets of ISPs (i.e. the dozens of congressman and woman who took ‘bribes’ from these companies and were exposed by the Reddit community). 

Now, I could continue to rant about net neutrality indefinitely, but it’s time to get down to the imminent stuff. The vote to repeal net neutrality is this Thursday, December 14th. We have from now until then to save the internet. You can start by heading over to battleforthenet.com and using their handy tool to write congress and demand they do something to protect the web. 

You can also call your representatives and ask them what they’re doing to uphold net neutrality. And if that sounds like too much work, you can also Tweet your rep (and find out who they are if you don’t already know) by using the other handy tool on the Battle for the Net site. 

Another important thing is to make sure that everyone you know is well aware of the situation. You know that annoying guy who spews passionate information at a party even when people aren’t interested? Be that guy, if only for a few days. Some people think net neutrality isn’t a big deal. Some don’t even know what it is. Help them understand (and don’t be a dick about it). 

Lastly, here’s a short list of resources to help you learn more and do more in the fight for net neutrality: 

Battle for the Net

This in-depth Reddit Q&A

Save the Internet – A site packed with information on net neutrality

A PBS interview with the man trying to destroy net neutrality 

A change.org petition to save net neutrality 

A fantastic video from John Oliver about the whole ordeal

A Techcrunch article about Republicans in Congress supporting net neutrality

Reddit’s analysis of net neutrality activism

There are plenty more sources to be added to this list as well. If there’s any you think people should know about, let us know and we’ll check it out and add it if we think it’s a good fit.

We also encourage you to let us know any questions you have in the comments. We’ll do our best to answer them and if we can’t, we’ll scour the internet for someone who can. One of the most important things in all this is to remain informed. 

We’ll be updating this article periodically as we inch closer to the Thursday deadline.