Alright take order so we we, we thank leader sure uh for your leadership on this issue in all of my colleagues for joining us in this um important day in the fight for netneutrality uh and we thank the millions of Americans all across the country, Iraq who have grown this Movement from the ground up and have brought us to this point. The grandparents, the gamers, the gear heads, the geeks, the gift makers, the generations, xy and z. This movement to save netneutrality is made up of every walk of American life, young and old rural and urban gang, key and Red Sox fans. Everyone is part of the movement one last night Oh, you have to do is enter all you have to do is look at the Internet today to this Red alert of websites to know that the online universe is ready to fight for netneutrality read it at Sea. Vimeo tumbler match dot com and so many more today. We enter this historic final stretch here in the Senate in the battle to save netneutrality this is a fight for the most Platform for Commerce and communications in the history of the planet, the Internet. This is a fight for the American economy, which has thrived because of netneutrality today we are officially filing the discharge petition to force a vote on my congressional review act resolution that would put strong net neutrality Rules back on the books. This is the fight for the Internet. The resolution would fully restore the rules that ensure Americans aren't subject to higher prices, slow Internet traffic and even blocked websites because the big Internet service providers want to pump up their profits by passing this resolution, we can send a clear message that this Congress won't fall to the special interest agenda of President trump and his broadband baron allies, but rather will do Right by the people who sent us here I'm pleased that my resolution now has bipartisan support from 50 senators with susan senator susan collins of maine in support. There are a number of Republican senators who have shown an openness to potentially voting. Yes and I know those Republican senators will take notice of all the constituent calls and emails. They will receive today and in the coming days congressman Mike doyle Is leading the charge in the House of representatives where he has 100 and 60 Co sponsors so far of victory here in the Senate would help Super charge. The effort in the House. I've believe today kicks off the most important week for the Internet. That the Senate has ever seen this upcoming Senate vote will be our opportunity to save netneutrality and deliver the digital future that Americans deserve and with that I want to uh introduce of the great Leader of the United state senator Iraq, through beautiful thank you, am as I call him ugh. I wanna thank all of my colleagues, the fact that so many people out here shows you how important this issue is not just two Democratic senators but to the country. This is is that he said the vital issue when you've heard a lot from us over the last few months, we have a lot of speakers today, so I'll be short I'll spare you another reference The netflix and chilled it promise not to have downloaded the tinder app to see their new ad encouraging users to right. There, senator to say to vote to save netneutrality and these ads and postings are all over the Internet today. On our day we're here today cuz Democrats in the Senate are taking the final step to consideration of the bill to restore netneutrality led by many at Markey and so many others who were here today uh we're now one step away from allowing the American public to see where their elected officials stand on protecting their Internet service are they protecting average consumers in Middle class families or they protecting the big corporate special interests. That's the underlying question, so far under the trump administration we've seen our Republican colleagues side too often with big powerful, special interests over the average folks when the Republican led Voted to repeal netneutrality in December. They handed the large Internet service providers. All the cards and left American families and small businesses helpless helpless before these providers that's why we Democrats are so concerned about netneutrality and we're trying to restore the Republican friends say, let the free market prevail. Let the big boys do whatever they want. We don't do that for highways. You can charge different toll rates The different people we don't do that for utilities. Well in the 20 first century, the Internet is every bit is important to average folks as highways and utilities have been through the twentieth century and we've learned through the years that average folks need some protection from the big boys that's what we're here to do today. This vote will allow senators to show once and for all where everyone stands, we hope that we can make This bipartisan, we hope that our Republican colleagues will join us in standing on behalf of the average consumers and Middle class families and next is the great senator from the state of Florida, senator bill Nelson Well, of course, millions of Americans and in my state since it's a big state, millions of floridians, whether it be from school children or high tech companies rely on unfettered access to the Internet. They don't want to have their websites blocked or their Internet access throttled and they certainly don't want Broadband providers choosing winners and losers. We know what it means at the end of the day. If that happens, higher fees for a less valuable Internet with less access and so we cannot let this be the future of the Internet and that's why I'm here to support the director Dick, turpin one of the trump administration, everything's for sale our public lands, our privacy, even our pathway to the Internet. It's time today for Americans to log on and tell President donald trump to lay off america's access to the Internet. Ryan shots this bill does one simple thing. It gets every member of the Senate on the record either supporting or opposing netneutrality. You either. You were either for a free and open Internet or you are not there is nowhere to hide and there are no excuses revealing the netneutrality Has changed the very nature of the Internet and Republicans are gonna regret. It from a public policy standpoint and a political standpoint. They have awakened a sleeping giant. I cannot think of an issue that pole so decisively on one side, people underestimate the passion of Internet voters at their peril they're mad and they wanna know what they can do and this vote will make things crystal clear, senator run whiten. Thank you and uh I don't know if ted said I was supposed to speak for the gear heads or something like that, but folks this is not at all complicated. If you want a free and open Internet which means that, after you pay your Internet access fee, you get to go where you want when you want and how you want you have to support the markey measure and the alternative is what Mr pie is talking about at the where you put the big communications monopolies rather than the consumer Enter in charge and what he's all about is building an information aristocracy where the well to do they're gonna get faster speeds and better content and he'd really like to put the typical person on the road to digital serfdom. The markey resolution is not going to let that happen. It's gonna say we're all gonna have an opportunity to get ahead after you pay that Internet access the everybody gets treated equally I'm very pleased we started this fight when ed was in the House and put in first I put in the first bill in the Santa number of my colleagues have been active for years and years now is the time this is the resolution I urge people around this country like we did for pippa and sofa to start a grass roots juggernaut for the markey resolution. We stop and I want it. Thank you. I wanna in first thing senator markey and all of my colleagues and we're committed 100 percent of our Democratic caucus and we We are so pleased to have senator susan collins with us and now we need one more Republican colleagues to join us and it has been said netneutrality. It sounds complicated is actually pretty simple and I'll give you an example. I work with a lot of small businesses, a lot of food entrepreneurs, Iran, let's say, there is a woman named susan who wants to start a bakery in muskegon and she doesn't have a lot of money so she has to have a kitchen. She has to have a license and flour and sugar and course in Michigan you get Michigan Cherries and blueberries to make her muffins and then she's gotta figure out how to have Internet access so she can take orders and she can sell her product. Unfortunately, if this rule is allowed to stand as a new, small business, she's gonna find yourself probably in a situation where she's gonna have to pay the lowest rate and have bad Internet access, but she's competing with the big bakery down the road who's established, making alive Of profits doing very well and they have the gold plated Internet access and so there's. This small business struggling to get started and she doesn't have the same opportunity to succeed as the person down the road. So we don't say that you pay more that she's gonna pay more to turn the lights on or to heat her business or to make sure she's got running water. Why should the Internet be any different and that's what this is about. It's not a luxury for anybody in Michigan or anybody across our country. Our families, our businesses, our future depend on it and now it's time to take a stand and our colleagues are going to have Up to decide if they're standing with the small business with the person getting started, creating the new jobs or just the big business down the road and that's what this vote is all about. Singer any color chunk right oh excuse me, American well. Why wanna. Thank senator markey and all my colleagues to be here to fight on behalf of an innovation economy. This clearly is the fight between Democrats and Republicans Democrats who want to preserve that innovation, economy and Republicans who are on the side of big cable Who are charging exorbitant rates and without this effort, they will charge more and slow down that innovation that's. Why we're here with this to say, let's stop the action that chairman piper took on behalf of big cable and instead fight for the innovation and the juggernaut economy. That we know that innovation is right now the innovation economy in the Internet economy is seven percent of this is so important to me because it The state of Washington it's 13 percent of our economy so the stakes are high with 13000 Internet companies and over a quarter million jobs. So we want an open Internet and one that does not have access to barriers. The is the best tool we have to make sure that consumers and the growth of the Internet economy of one trillion dollars continues to grow. We can't let of you, big cable companies, be the ones to determine who wins and loses in the content wars over four thousand tech startups were founded in 20 15 and we added a hundred and 42000 jobs in tech in 20 16 is that going to slow down Just three big cable companies control access to the Internet for 70 percent of Americans and over the past decade. These prices that these Americans pay for these services have risen almost twice as fast as inflation. This is giving them a license to charge more so what will happen to those innovation solutions, whether we're talking about telemedicine distance learning cyber security, reforestation ecommerce or what will happen if you let cast and allow the In website to go faster than political, political is based on getting access to news and getting in a timely fashion or we're going to let the cable company who is vertically integrated artificially slow down other sites and less you pay a fee to get access. This is what this bait debate is all about. It is about access to information without being slow down without being throttled and without artificially putting your thumb on the scale in favor of one over the other. That is why we're Fighting today that's why fighting this see how putting on the table and fighting the action is something that everybody needs to weigh in senator markey said we had a hundred and 60 House members. We need to get to to eighteen. We hope that today the House will see the great action taken by Senate Democrats and take the fight to Republicans who are ignoring ignoring the Internet economy and innovation in siding with big cable that is already gouging consumers It and now it's harm me, aloha I'm glad to be here with all of my colleagues to fight back against this very misguided rule, which actually creates a problem. You know shouldn't government, be resolving problems as opposed to creating them so here's. Yet another example of creating a problem so I just want to mention how important free and open Internet is and as you may have noticed, there is a volcano erupting in the White and prior to that. We had a huge rain full on hawaii more rainfall All in a 24 hour period and then the entire history of rainfall in our country and the President just issued a declaration of disaster for alive so of re and open Internet is so important for all of these people who can't even go to their homes to use the Internet. They are going to their libraries. I met with the state library and yesterday that who told me that there are more community people coming to the open libraries to use the Internet so that they can send pictures to their loved ones so they can share their experiences, their using social media And photos that depict the devastation and that is one of the ways that everyone can find out. What's going on with these natural disasters which, as you notice are happening more and more so this is yet another example. Real life example of how important the free and open Internet is for people who are in these kinds of crisis that's. Why we need to take this vote and everyone needs to really show their cards for you for Thank you, senator Ben cardin. Well, first I joined senator markey and my colleagues in urging support for this opportunity to reverse the removal of netneutrality you've heard a lot of reasons which I concur in. I wanna talk on behalf of Maryland small businesses and the small businesses of our nation, which access to the Internet is critically important you'll have many examples well, let me just give one you're operating a small business and he sell bicycles and you depend upon the Internet on sales. That's all companies do today and your face with one of the big outlets that can bring up their merchandise in a nano second but because you're not no longer in the fast lane, it takes many seconds before your product can be seen by the viewer study after study has shown that if you can't get almost immediate access the consumer Loses interest and goes off of your website so you can't survive this is a matter of survival of small businesses to have the uh adequate serve access and service under the Internet. So let me just quote from John who's Co owner of the Red amazon cooperative bookstore and restaurant in Baltimore. He summed it up best by saying I don't have the money to pay an Internet service provider to guarantee my website will go quickly for all users so I'm concerned that the end of net neutrality means customers will buy from retailers that have resources to pay for faster service additionally, of my Internet service provider slows Load slows down and blocks access to my Web content will be up against more than just a larger booksellers. Are restaurants where suddenly competing against any website that was quickly because those are the ones that will draw the people's attention. This is about to survival of small businesses in America, which is the growth engine of our economy and where we get innovation netneutrality has lowered the barrier to starting and growing small businesses and let me just tell you what net neutrality means cuz. I agree with the Commissioner jessica rose and when she put it for the first time, small biz Can't think big and consumers could shop small from anywhere in the world. Do we want to reverse that. That's what net neutrality means and we'll be moving and exact opposite direction. We don't reverse the netneutrality the role that was proposed by the epa as a Center of the machine. Well, access to a free and open Internet is critical for small businesses and we can't underestimate the importance of small businesses to the American economy. They create two out of every three jobs. They create 16 times more patents per employee than large businesses and we need to make sure they have access to the Internet last week. I had the Hearing with the small business and entrepreneurship Committee in new hampshire of field hearing and we heard from small businesses in the state and one of the analogies that one of the business people used that I thought was really apropos. He said you know what we're doing with these new rules from the is giving big businesses the ability to travel on Super highways and forcing small businesses to travel on the back roads. That's excellent example Of what the difference, this means for small businesses and what it would mean for the economy. There is no dad we've got to overturn this rule and I'm so pleased to be able to support this effort might be better. Thank you, thanks ed markey for your leadership I'll speak very briefly. My state in is a real state. Iraq and their kids in Colorado some kids that have the benefit of high speed access to the Internet and the other kids that don't and in the 20 first century you might as well say that some kids are allowed to have textbooks when they go to school and other kids are not and that's. Why the County Commission In my state Republicans and Democrats University of said to me that they support over turning this ruled by the they see it as a threat to rural Colorado into roll America and this is an opportunity for us to stand up and say it's not fair to have solar speeds and part of the country than in other parts of the country and an open and and free Internet is a cornerstone of the economic development in the educational opportunities that Rural Colorado is trying to supply to our citizens and that's why I'm proud to support this effort by senator markey and let me turn it over to our other colleague from new hampshire Center maggie has to thank you, um. I do just want to thank my colleagues at markey and all of the colleagues here, all of the Democratic senators and senator collins for this effort so that we can reinstate netneutrality offer the people of our country we've already heard how important it is to promoting innovation. How important it is in the state like new hampshire where we have such a large percentage of small businesses, wherever you go in new hampshire and You talk to a small business person. They will tell you what the critical difference they it makes for them to be able to leverage the free and open Internet as they build their business. Um I've heard from people from all walks of life in new hampshire about how important this is. It also think it's really important to note that many small businesses are started by women and without this kind of access to open and free Internet we're really Disproportionately, disproportionately impacting our women led businesses um as we try to build a more inclusive economy and, as businesses led by women, are such an important part of our economic growth. Um the last group I wanna talk about, though, is the group of people that we have seen really on the streets are organizing to make progress for our country over the last year and a half or so we have seen grassroots movements like the National women's March, which is organized lot large Through online mechanisms, we've seen the students after the parkland shooting organized international March. How do they do it mostly online. Now imagine if access to those organizing tools could be slow down or if you will have to pay extra in order to have an effective organizing. It has a real impact on our democracy and that is something we also shouldn't forget as we talk about the importance of an open and free Internet You know I don't me to constituent anywhere who thinks that their cable bill isn't high enough. Um. This is nothing but a giveaway to large corporate entities who control access to cable and what we need to be doing is reinstating netneutrality so that all Americans can compete and can make sure that their voices are heard. Thank you very much and with that alternative over to senator Smith, good morning In Minnesota net neutrality means that some big Corporation, headquartered hundreds of miles away