PW to Publishers: Speak Up About “Net Neutrality”

A vibrant, open Internet is as crucial to the future of publishing as copyright policy. And that’s why we believe publishers cannot sit this one out.

An editorial in the forthcoming issue of Publishers Weekly notes a perceived silence from book publishers and their trade association over the Federal Communications Commission’s recent decision to rescind so-called “net neutrality” – “the principle that Internet service providers must treat all data on the Internet the same, and not discriminate or charge differently by user, content [or] website.”

As Andrew Albanese, PW’s senior writer, explains, “We note a key voice remains noticeably absent from the net neutrality debate – publishers. And this, despite overwhelming support for net neutrality protections from the public, the library community, author groups, and dozens of related literacy organizations.

“At PW, we very much see net neutrality as a publishing issue. Free speech and the free flow of ideas are the lifeblood of the publishing industry, and a vibrant, open Internet is as crucial to the future of publishing as copyright policy. And that’s why we believe publishers cannot sit this one out,” Albanese tells CCC’s Chris Kenneally.

Every Friday, CCC’s “Beyond the Book” speaks with the editors and reporters of “Publishers Weekly” for an early look at the news that publishers, editors, authors, agents and librarians will be talking about when they return to work on Monday.