Why We Fight for Internet Freedom

The following is commentary by i2Coalition Chairman and Co-founder Christian Dawson and is cross-posted from The ServInt Source.

This week I have the honor of representing not just ServInt but the rest of the Internet infrastructure industry when I get to moderate the Internet Education Day event and awards ceremony hosted by the Internet Infrastructure Coalition (i2Coalition).  At this event, scheduled to take place on Wednesday, March 5, 2014 in the Rayburn House Office Building, the i2Coalition will be giving Champion of Internet Innovation Awards to U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) and U.S. Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) for their work helping this industry grow and succeed.

I love this industry, because what we do is important. Our customers build their dreams atop our infrastructure, and their dreams are literally changing the world — for the better, in my view. That being said, the Internet is huge and complex, and it has attracted a few bad players with its reach and leverage. Companies like ServInt have been on the front lines of fighting that bad stuff for decades — things like child pornography, SPAM and malware.

It’s not enough for companies like ours to fight regulation of our industry. It’s important we do that, because doing so keeps the Internet free and open, drives innovation and keeps costs low and options high for our customers. But we need to walk the walk on solving the hard problems of the Internet if we are to prove ourselves responsible netizens capable of self-policing. The Internet ecosystem, which includes providers like us and all kinds of other groups, needs to prove that it can self-police if it wants to maintain control of its own destiny.

We are engaged with our community to make the Internet a better, safer place because we care. We care not only about keeping the Internet free and open, but about solving the Internet’s hard problems together. With the power of the Internet Infrastructure Coalition and its aligned organizations we get to fight for a better, safer Internet and be more effective than if we were going it alone. I am proud that ServInt is one of the responsible companies out there, fighting not just for Internet freedom, but also for the kinds of Internet best practices that make the Internet a better place for us all.

I wrote a blog post over at the i2Coalition website you ought to check out titled “Top 10 Reasons to Participate in Internet Education Day“ and I recommend you check it out whether you’ll be near DC on March 5th or not!