The Media Research Center and members of the Free Speech Alliance coalition have issued a strong warning to the leaders of the five largest telecommunications companies in the U.S.: You must not censor Americans in advance of the 2024 presidential election.
In a Monday letter delivered to the CEOs of Comcast, T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon and Charger, the pro-free speech groups cautioned the telecommunications companies not to cave into leftist pressure for election-interfering censorship.
“Our system of government and the ability for citizens to participate in it requires the unfettered, free flow of ideas,” wrote members of the Free Speech Alliance, a coalition of leading pro-free speech companies in the U.S. “Any action you take to limit that speech in advance of the November election is an attack on the very essence of freedom.”
The letter, signed by 29 members, urges telecom giants to pledge to five pro-free speech promises:
- “Never limit calling, texting or other access to wireless communications to political campaigns, political action committees or political fundraising services.
- “Never throttle or otherwise censor access to the websites of political campaigns, political action committees or political fundraising platforms.
- “Never refuse contract renewal to a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) over the group’s political advocacy or the advocacy of its owners and employees.
- “Never throttle, block texted links or otherwise censor access to news outlets, including individual pages of news outlets.
- “Never impose restrictions on calling, texting or internet access based on nebulous, amorphous and misused phrases like ‘misinformation,’ ‘disinformation,’ ‘extremism’ or ‘hate speech.’”
Read the full letter below:
