Eshoo Signs Declaration of Internet Freedom

Add the signature of Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) to those who
have signed the Declaration of Internet Freedom, which was launched July 2 by a
host of net neutrality backers, from ACLU and Free Press to Mozilla and reddit
cofounder Alexis Ohanian.

"Through its open and transparent structure, the
Internet has transformed into a platform supporting thousands of innovative companies,
applications and services and millions of new jobs. I've always been a
consistent defender of an open Internet in Congress," said Eshoo, cochair
of the congressional Internet caucus, in a statement. "I'm pleased to
continue this advocacy by signing the Declaration of Internet Freedom."

According to Free Press, so far four legislators are among
the 75,000 or so individuals (plus 1,800 groups/organizations) that have signed
on to thefour-point pledge, which boils down to rejecting censorship, promoting
openness, protecting innovation and securing privacy and individual control.

Eshoo joins Reps. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), Jared Polis
(D-Colo.) and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.). All four were opponents of online piracy
legislation SOPA and PROTECT IP (PIPA), which they argued gave content owners
the power to block websites on mere suspicion of piracy.

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.