Phillip Dampier

[Our newest content appears below this appeal!]

Thanks to those who have made contributions thus far.  We have a long way to go, however.  This appeal will remain up over the weekend, with the hopes we will see a considerably stronger turnout of support.  This week alone we helped pull the rug out on cable lobbyists in North Carolina — just another example of the results we’ve achieved together.  But the growing expenses serve only to distract from the mission at hand, and that especially includes the battle with AT&T, so please do what you can.

With much appreciation, we’ve seen an enormous spike in traffic “thanks” to the latest money-grab attempt from AT&T.  For nearly three years, this community has stood together to fight all forms of Internet Overcharging: usage caps, metered billing, speed throttling, and whatever other new tricks providers conjure up to monetize broadband traffic they are already paid handsomely to deliver.

Since July 2008, we’ve brought you more than 1,500 stories educating you where broadband has gone wrong in North America, where the success stories are, and how you can fight back against those wallet-biting ISPs who want more money for less service.

We’ve helped promote better choices like fiber-to-the-home broadband, fought for Net Neutrality, exposed the industry’s agenda on “Internet congestion,” and corrected the record when providers malign community-owned broadband networks.  But above all, we are fighting to keep worry-free, flat rate broadband service an affordable option for every North American.

We don’t negotiate with Internet Overchargers — we don’t play their games or argue their numbers.  As consumers, we want an unlimited broadband experience without watching “gas gauges,” meters, or charts.

We do not receive a penny of industry money, nor are we a “dollar-a-holler” group.  It’s a 100 percent consumer effort on behalf of other consumers.  No astroturf here!

The protest against Time Warner Cable.

But folks, this fight is starting to get expensive, and fighting AT&T is going to make it even more so.

We despise pledge drives and beg-a-thons and are very wary of accepting advertising.

It’s important for us to concentrate our resources on winning the fight for better broadband, and chasing money to pay bills is not something we want to spend valuable time on.  Therefore, if you find value in what we do, whether it was winning the war against Time Warner Cable’s metered broadband experiment in 2009, helping community broadband networks spread, grow, and survive providers trying to shut them down, or we just saved you money with tips on winning a lower rate or getting your money back, please consider making a contribution to help keep the fight going.

Some of our opponents always suggest content producers want a “free ride.”  Nothing could be further than the truth.  We pay for web hosting, bandwidth, and licensing fees just like every other website.  We pay our fair share the same way many of the largest sites on the Internet pay theirs.  But we do it all for free as volunteers, donating an enormous amount of time and energy.

On the right side of your screen, you will see a small button to donate using PayPal.  Thanks from all of us for using it at this critical time.

With thanks,

The Team at Stop the Cap!