I am the protester that stood up "on behalf of the Internet Generation" and interrupted the FCC meeting today. AMA!

Do you think that being rude and disorderly is the way to get what you want? Doesn't it cheapen a legitimate message to act this way, and makes the message look bad by association?

Tom Wheeler actually said something very much like that at the beginning of his speech. I think that when it is clear that they are not listening to your phone calls, letters, etc. sometimes you have to resort to unconventional methods. Some may call it radical, but as Glenn Greenwald said at his event last night in DC, "Those who are considered radical are liberated by history." I will not sit by and let this happen in front of my face.

If they are not listening to the proper channels of communication, what makes you think they will listen to some protester interrupting them?

When Medea Benjamin, founder of CODEPINK, interrupted Obama on May 23, 2013, after she was hauled out he paused for a second and I thought I could see the humanity in his eyes. He finally opened his mouth and said, "The voice of that woman is worth paying attention to." The more of us that stand up and interrupt them, shine light on their dark doings, and show them that we will not come easily and quietly when they try to do such things, the more we can make a difference.

Code Pink has repeatedly resorted to violence, disruption, and decidedly uncivilized methods it's entire existence, and yet has never achieved a single goal it set out to achieve in this manner.

Isn't it time to grow up and start acting like civilized human beings instead of impotent thugs?

CODEPINK is completely opposed to violence, we do not resort to it as a tactic. We have achieved many of our goals. We stopped the Iran sanctions bill in January because we seriously mobilized. When Kareem Khan was disappeared, we brought so much attention to issue that he was released days later and publicly thanked CODEPINK because he knew it was solely due to our efforts. We have a lot of small wins and our big win is that we never stop.

How did you feel when you learned that the multimillionaire founder of Code pink, Medea benjamin, held hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of stock in Caterpillar, Intel, and general Electric, all companies on the BDS list? Did anyone in Code pink call her on her hypocrisy?

I do think that you are trying to distract from the issue at hand, but if you want to talk about this - the foundation that had the money invested in those companies belonged to her parents. Since Medea inherited it, she has divested from all companies on the BDS list.

If there is an unfavorable history within the company or message you are promoting, doing an AMA on Reddit is going to be a disaster for you. Sorry.

I wouldn't characterize it as a disaster. I've learned a lot and I have enjoyed the discussion that's been started.

So what happened to you after they escorted you out? Did they detain or arrest you? Are you now blackballed from future sessions?

They just took me outside and took away my visitor's badge. They were actually nice, I thanked the cops for being nice. They did check my ID when I came into the session at the beginning, but I don't think they would remember my name to blackball me from future sessions.

I appreciate what you did, please don't be bothered by the rude commenters.

Thank you, I'm glad that I could do something.

Why did you choose to state your message the way you did?

It is clear they are not listening to us. I am not usually a fan of disruption, and this is actually the first time I've ever done it, but this is an issue I really care about. When it is clear that they are not going to listen, I am convinced that you must go above and beyond. They heard me, I can guarantee you that. And the way I did it makes it clear that we are so pissed about this that we are going to color outside the lines and fight this any way possible.

Thank you for using one of the many tools of non-violent action, I applaud your audacity to act. History has shown that when many voices come together they can influence politics.

Thanks for recognizing this!

[deleted]

AMA request: your father.

Now would be a great time for one of the minds behind the development of Ethernet to discuss the process and share his perspective on this regulation.

YES YES YES!

This comment is right on the mark! The FCC has a long tradition of misunderstanding technology especially when it comes to the public airwaves and the Internet.

Net neutrality will result in the further enforcement of class separation. Those who can afford the costs will have far better Internet service than those who can't. This will stifle the creative use of the Net. It's a boon for the telephone and cable providers and a disaster for the rest of us.

Contact your Senator or Representative and the FCC right away!

Please do an AMA! I would really love for you to become a major part of the discussion! :)

Do you think, after your attempt, the next best attempt at helping the mass is to better educate them on what can be done to counteract the decisions made by the FCC?

That's always the best attempt to get anything done with the people in power. The thing to do right now is to pressure our representatives. They are coming up for reelection and if we tell them we are not going to vote them back in if they don't protect our right to a free and open Internet by publicly stating the FCC should reclassify ISPs as Title II common carriers. If enough people say that they are watching, it becomes harder for the government to do things that we're not OK with. If I have learned anything from working at CODEPINK, it is that there is strength in numbers. Apathy is a choice and it is the worst choice you can make. Civility and apathy are tools of the oppressors. They want us to think we can't make a difference, when in reality, if we work together, we truly can. I would also recommend checking out savetheinternet.com for more ideas about what you can do.

I think a lot of people are overlooking the fact that it really only takes 1 person to start a change, to change the conventional way of thinking. SURE, your voice may have been taken with a grain of salt by the FCC board members, but it spoke volumes to average citizens. The video of you and 2 other participants being escorted from the hearing is rapidly gaining views, and the word is being spread on the issue. I'm Canadian so I'm essentially an outsider looking in, but I applaud the efforts. Keep battling, keep fighting, try and encourage people to realize 1 person may not have a voice, but if each person tells another pretty soon the numbers are growing exponentially. Eventually they'll have to listen. I hope this pulls through and I hope this can unite US citizens just a little bit to call out their governing body.

Edit: And it's not like this is a radical opinion; this case can legitimately effect every american. It seems like for the vast majority this outcome would be negative.

Thanks for recognizing this. That is what so clear to me - the more of us that demand our voice in democracy be restored, the more of a difference we can make and I really want to see my generation get our voices out there. I appreciate your 'outsider' perspective. :)

What should I say if I call?

Tell your representatives that we want a free and open Internet; that means we want ISPs to be reclassified as Title II common carriers. Check out savetheinternet.com for more tips and info.

I am in high school and most of my friends either don't know what net neutrality is or don't really seem to care. Usually when I explain it people end up disagreeing with it saying "businesses have the right to do what they want." How can I explain this in a way that makes them understand the importance of this issue and why Net Neutrality is necessary?

If the Internet was divided into class-based fast and slow lanes, and your start up wanted to make a website, how attractive would your product or service be if you have to start out in the slow lane? A Title II common carrier is a company that is required to provide a service on general terms and indiscriminately, it cannot engage in the kind of bargaining that would permit discrimination-based fast and slow lanes. These "net neutrality" rules that are proposed to pass in 180 days threaten the free and open Internet as we know it.

Why did you guys disappear when Obama got elected? We're still in Afgan/Iraq, GITMO is still open, Obama has killed far more people with drones than W did. NSA, etc.... Where are those who were going to stay in front of the White House until all the troops came home and GITMO was closed?

This is honestly the first I have heard of CODEPINK since 08 and I like to think I'm relatively informed. I wondered where you guys went. Honestly I lost a lot of respect for CODEPINK after they went quiet the minute Obama got elected. It showed they were more of a partisan organization than worried about the causes they championed. Am I wrong in my assumptions?

I am pleased to tell you you are very wrong! I know people tend to think that about us, but we've actually been one of the biggest critics of Obama. We do not take sides with political parties - we only support truth, justice, and peace. Obama does not support any of these. He has been the least transparent administration ever, he has invoked the Espionage Act of 1917 more in his presidency alone than in its entire history, he has continued these wars as if nothing changed, he has lied to us about closing GITMO. For a few examples of our protesting Obama, here's Medea Benjamin, founder of CODEPINK, interrupting him last year at one of his speeches. The first protest I did with CODEPINK was on the 12th anniversary of GITMO in January. Also, here's a video of us protesting the drone strike in Yemen in December in front of the White House. Right now we're in the midst of lobbying against his nomination of David Barron, the lawyer who came up with the legal justification to kill Americans with drones without a trial, to the First Court of Appeals. Please feel free to check out our facebook if you'd like to see more of what we've been doing to protest Obama just as much, if not more, than we protested Bush. Keep your eyes peeled for more protesting of Obama and his administration, cause I promise we're out there (and you're welcome to join!)! :)

What was this meeting about and why did you choose to interrupt them? What makes you care so deeply for an issue?

This meeting was about the FCC's new "net neutrality" plan that will basically create a class-based system because internet speeds will now have fast and slow lanes depending on how much your corporation or startup can afford (guess who gets which speed). And the money that those big corporations will have to shell out will come from charging their customers more, meaning more of our money will go to these big telecom companies. I chose to interrupt them because they are not listening to Americans, those who are calling for ISPs to be classified as Title II common carriers, which means they must provide service indiscriminately. I care about this because I am 20 - I grew up on the Internet and it has been an integral part of my life, as it has been for most of my generation. It is how we are able to freely communicate and disseminate democratic ideas peacefully. This could totally change the internet as we know it into another corrupt system.

I appreciate that you did what you thought needed to be done. I don't think it'll be effective in the least, but at least you tried to do something and that's more than most people can say. That is all.

But if more of us were able to say that, we would be doing and getting done a lot more!

How did your actions help your cause and why?

I shared an important view that was missing from the dialogue and needed to be shared. We should live in a democracy, we should have a real voice at the table, and there are many that share this view about reclassifying ISPs with me. This is an incredibly important issue to me and to many in my generation and every American that uses the Internet. I will not sit silent as I watch the free and open Internet be destroyed right across the room from me.

Was there any other acenues for sharing your views? Ones that could be viewed in a more legitimate light by those whos ciews you wish to change?

It's not about whose views I wish to change, it's about those people that needed a little push to get inspired to be involved and make sure their voices are heard on this because this issue matters.

What's their rationale for this?

To me: I pay my ISP for access to the Internet - that means a certain amount of bandwidth and data. They give me an IP address and default gateway, and that's it. With that in mind charging other people for stuff I've already paid to access is wrong. (Am I wrong? Are there peering things going on that result in my ISP getting charged more or something?)

However, I realize that's now how they see it. So - please play devil's advocate and tell me what their position is? Thanks!

What's going to happen is that major companies like Netflix will be able to afford the fast lanes. But guess who they're going to turn around and defer the costs on? Us. More money will be funneled from us into major telecom companies. The slow lanes will be for start ups and groups, organizations, etc. that don't have the cash to be in the upper tier. So we won't be trying to do business with those people and there will be no incentive to invest in them. Basically we'll be screwed over in two ways.

Did you make this post from Federal Prison or something?

No, I made it in between an interview and volunteering.

Do you think you'd generate more support for your cause if you posted pics into r/gonewild as your AMA proof?

that actually made me LOL thanks for the giggles :)

Don't really have any questions, but I did want to pop by to thank you and Medea for your work!

I'll tell her. :)

Tell us honestly - you did it just for karma, didn't you?

This isn't my personal account and if I'm correct, you don't get karma for AMA posts? I didn't even think to do this at all until I started getting press calls and my friend brought it up that maybe I should talk to reddit about it since this is an issue that is so important to redditors. To be honest, I read the reddit blog post about this right before I stood up and used a line from it and it gave me the courage to speak...