Editorial by Deborah Hetrick Catanese
I’m a Mommy blogger. I work with another mother who is in her early years of parenting, while I am much further in the great journey and gift of being a mom. In fact, my children are in their twenties and pursuing their own choices, while I am free to pursue my choices, which in this stage of my life means writing and editing, while partaking and sharing in the constant stream of ideas and vitality that blogging has given to me. We call our blog Project Motherhood NYC because it represents our idea of how we can “walk the runway of motherhood” by using our fashion values of quality and grace to enhance how we parent as well.
I do Mommy blogging to keep my older brain vibrant and to be a source of support to younger mothers; it’s my way of giving back. BUT for many Mommy bloggers, including my blogmate, blogging allows them to bring an income to their family and help pay bills. And for many Moms, blogging gives them the ability to be at home with their children during their work day.
Why Net Neutrality is Essential for Mommy Bloggers…and everyone else, too!
But the issue of Net Neutrality affects both those who want to share ideas and those who need to support their families. In fact, if we don’t keep the net neutral, it will affect everyone, and NOT in a good way.
Imagine this: A Mom goes online looking for advice and searches the internet looking for guidance about teacher conferences (or fashion for post pregnancy bodies, or diapers, whatever!). In fact, there is a Project Motherhood NYC article about preparing for teacher conferences, waiting on the web to offer our Mom guidance and support.
BUT now there are TWO internets, one with better, faster access and dominance in the search engines, and ONE for little people who can’t afford to pay what the BIG GUYS pay. What this means, in essence, is that the access of the Mommy bloggers would become about as viable as those little privately owned bookstores were against the Big Box book stores. So when our Mom who wants to know which diapers other Mothers prefer for quality and price, she will only get results from the big diaper companies, not from us Mommy bloggers.
NO, NO, A THOUSAND TIMES NO! The web is for all of us, an equal playing field! Think of all the joy and information and convenience and awesome tips and ideas you have received from it in these years of open innovative communications technology! But if Broadband is redefined and given to the companies to restrict and restrain everyone but the money players, the freely accessible traits that we have grown to love about the web will disappear. You can read the official details about what is about to happen HERE
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not hating on big companies, I shop at many of them too. I’m just talking about how well the web has worked for everyone to date, but is about to change if we don’t speak up.
Trust me, as a Mom, I hope I have given you the picture in a way that resonates with you, which is always our intent here at Project Motherhood NYC in our own unique way. Please help keep the internet flowing free and OUR little voices heard. We are ALL part of the dialog.
So, PLEASE, please contact your congress people. Tell them to put pressure on the FCC to keep NET NEUTRALITY! Thank you! (Your kids will thank you, too!)
Fashionably yours,
Deborah
Thanks for brining attention to this important issue!