Artists are facing unprecedented threats to our livelihoods and our ability to express ourselves freely and safely. Corporations want to use artificial intelligence to replace the work of our hands, hearts, and brains with content generated by algorithms that cannot think or feel. Big Tech platforms rake in record profits year after year, while leaving us with crumbs. Billionaires buy and sell the platforms that we depend on for a living like they’re trading cards.

Corporate greed and control are at the root of these harms. Many policy changes are needed to protect art and give power back to artists. One of the most important is the restoration of strong Title II net neutrality protections at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Net neutrality protections ensure that we get to decide what we do online, without interference from companies we pay to get online, like Verizon and Comcast. That means they can’t block, throttle, favor or try to extract payments from online services.

Title II is the legal underpinning of net neutrality, and allows the FCC to prevent ISPs from abusing their gatekeeper power. It also gives them the power to ensure that everyone has access to affordable Internet. Internet access has become a basic necessity for everyone, but especially artists. The COVID-19 pandemic, which forced many artists to turn to livestreams, ebooks, and other methods of generating online income, made this more clear than ever.

But without national net neutrality protections, it’s only a matter of time before telecom giants like AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile start trying to charge for online services that artists depend on, or build pay-to-play fast lanes only affordable to companies like Google (YouTube), Amazon (Kindle, Audible, Goodreads), Spotify, and Instagram. That will only entrench the monopoly power of these giants, making it nearly impossible for artists to find or build alternatives with more just and transparent business practices.

Artists are not fools. We know that if Big Telecom giants squeeze access fees from Big Tech companies, these monopolies will put corporate profits before struggling artists and pass those costs along to us. And smaller, more independent platforms that actually cater to artists' needs could shut down entirely. Fees like this are so high in South Korea that Twitch is actually shutting down there in February because it became too expensive to operate.

Now more than ever, artists and creative workers need new indie outlets and platforms, and to build those we need net neutrality. Millions of people fought for these protections, and millions more protested when the Trump administration callously repealed them. We, the undersigned, call on the FCC to move quickly to restore Title II, and on all elected officials to support restoring strong net neutrality protections.

Signed,

Algiers

Alok Vaid-Menon

Amanda Palmer

B. Dolan

Big Joanie

Chuck Wendig

Cory Doctorow

Damon Krukowski

Deerhoof

DIIV

Dougie Poole

Downtown Boys

Evan Greer

Evan Thomas Weiss

Eve6

Generacion Suicida

Jackie Mendoza

Jeff Rosenstock

Julia Holter

Kevin Duquette

Kimya Dawson

Kominas

Kyle "Guante" Tran Myhre

Liz Pelly

Medea Benjamin

Mercedes R. Lackey

Molly Crabapple

Mountain Man

Neil Gaiman

Nullsleep

Remember Sports

Riobamba

SAMMUS // Dr. Enongo Lumumba-Kasongo

Sophia Bastian

Speedy Ortiz

Spencer Tweedy

Stephen Fry

Tess Roby

Tom Morello

War On Women

Xenia Rubinos

.XOM

Alan Birmingham

Alex Heigl

Alex Mechanic

Alexis Clements

Aloysius Bell

Amélie

Amrit S Khalsa

Andrea Danger

Ann Dorsey

Anne Boccato

Annelise Ekland

Anthony Richards

Art Official

Asaran Earth Trio

AWKWORD

Babas

BABS

Barb Bailly

Baths

Bit Shifter

Brendan Cardaci

Brian Gingras

Brook Pridemore

Bruce Alan Rauscher

Bug Guts

Carrie Laski

Casey Dienel

Casey Neill & The Norway Rats

Cat Mahatta

Cecil Castellucci

Charlotta Ball

Chef Sol

Chelsea Dirck

Cheryl Militello

Cody Goin

Cognitive Fungus Productions LLC

Curerbell

D. T. Cooke

Dan Wagner

Dana Barela

Daniel Bachman

Daniel Penzer

Daniel Polley

Dave Purcell (Radio Free ABQ)

Davia Schendel

David Barboni

David Klingensmith

David Weinberger

David Wendt

Deborah Richards

Dee Davidson

Del Paxton

Diambu Smith

Dim Wizard

Divine Decadence

Dots and Lines

Dots Will Echo

Doug Tuttle

Earl Grove

Eli Valley

Eli Winter

Elissa Martel

Elizabeth Butler

Ella Collis

Elyse Winn

Emery Robillard

Emo Sea Monster

EpZ

Eric Madis

Erik Hvoslef

Ernie Smith, tech writer, editor of Tedium

Fishboy

Francesca Rago

Fred Barger

Gabriella Raelyn

George Sarah

Gregory Anderson

Gregory Kemmis

Hailen Jackson

heavens club

Hurry

IE

iji

Ill.Gates

Irene Driscoll

Irene lee carson

Iron Curtain (The Chiptunes Artist)

Isa Suarez

itoldyouiwouldeatyou

James Adams

James Mulcare

James Norris

Jan Rountree

Jason Anderson

Jason Crawford

Jasper Jones

Jeremy Goldstein (EVAC)

Jevin Almazan

jim nielsen

Jitensha

jj skolnik (daddy’s boy)

Joan goodfellow

Joe DeGeorge

Joel Jerome

John Coffey

John Munnelly

Johnny Gifford

Jonathan Lenore Kastin

Jordan Webb

Joseph Quisol

Josh Lee

Judith ackerman

Juliet Stunkel

Justin Philipps

Kahlil Goodwyn

Kaia Mortensen

Karen Berger

Karen Skloss

Kate VanVorst

Kathryn Hill

Keith Morris

Kelly Wells

Kenneth Jenrow

Kent Minault

Kliph Scurlock

L P Rees

La Neve

Lana Henson

Larry Crane

Laura Gibbs

Laura Herndon

LAWRENCE

Les Manivelles

Lisa Chadwick

Liz Hogg

LOCATIONS

Lori Stefano

Lucii Richardson

Maggi Joseph

Margaret Durow

Margaret Gel (icze4r)

Mari, Manuel Bell

Mark Reback

Martha Sharkin

Max Carrara

Meg at Illuminations At & Glass

Melinda Rice

Mercy!

Michael Sullivan

Mikyle Gray

mk zariel

Moon By Moon

Nadia Garofalo

Nancy Neumann

Nas TY

nicole misha

Noah Kittinger

Oliver van Moon

Opal Oliver Minor

ovacord

Pamela Torrance

Paper Bee

Paul Kintzing (German Error Message / Other Nothing)

Paul Lapidus

Pete Mason

Peter O. Childs

PetHorizons

Philip Brunner

Philip Ritter

Pinkwash

Piper Street Sound

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R. Banov

Rafael Koerner

Randy Bayers

Rene Bobo

Richard Edwards

Richard Guier

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Rowan Blackwood

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ROZEPOP

Rye Marshall

Safa Shokrai

Sam Gas Can

Samuel Clocks

Scott Harris

scott ireland

Scott McDowell

Scott Shannon

Sean Trischka

Seth Campbell

Seth Hebert-Faergolzia

Shelley Hilton

Shirlene Harris

Sonic Eddy

Stefan Costilhes Podgorski

Stephen LoVerme

Suburban John

Sun Urchins

Svadhi Sol

Tahnee Juryn

Tall Guy Short Songs

Terrie Smith

The Darling Invasion

Thomas Northrup

Tom Steger

Tony Rutherford

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VIctor Maxwell

Victoria R. Downtown Boys

Waylon Fingers

Where Is Your Dog Now?

Wolves