Yesterday, 3 judges dismantled the open Internet by deciding that big companies should be able to determine what we see online.

They struck down “Net Neutrality” – the principle that no corporation or state authority can censor, slow down, block, or privilege certain content on the web. It's the basis for what has made the Internet a place for creativity, free speech, and innovation.

Without Net Neutrality, the very startups that make the Internet a force of innovation will be throttled – unable to compete with incumbent businesses that can pay to provide their access faster than any startup could.

Carriers can now charge content providers to make sure their content works well – something that privileges companies already dominating the market at the expense of the startups that have made the Internet great. Facebook or Google might be able to afford preferential treatment – but what about the startup that otherwise could replace them?

It’s incredibly insidious, and it threatens to take away the level playing field that’s made the Internet such an incredible boon for society.

The FCC, however, has the power to protect Net Neutrality – if they classify broadband as a communications service, something we all know it is with all the time we spend communicating with friends and loved ones via e-mail and social media, they’ll have the power to reinstate Net Neutrality rules.

PETITION TO THE FCC: We urge you to assert your authority and restore your Net Neutrality rules now!

We’ve fought to save Net Neutrality before, and we’re going to save it this time, too. Together we will protect the Internet.