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At the 2018 Midwinter Meeting, Council adopted the statement “.” Written by the Intellectual Freedom Committee, the document affirms that Net Neutrality is essential to the promotion and practice of intellectual freedom and the free exercise of democracy.

The document’s origins date back to June, when President Jim Neal requested a Net Neutrality position paper written from an intellectual freedom perspective. On Dec. 14, 2017, the Federal Communications Commission voted to repeal Net Neutrality; the repeal will take effect on April 23, 2018. The Intellectual Freedom Committee structured the paper to respond to arguments in the anticipated fight to preserve Net Neutrality.

“The Net Neutrality statement is timeless, reflecting the core values of and its members,” said IFC Chair Helen Adams.

The document makes clear connections between Net Neutrality and libraries, democracy, intellectual freedom, and equitable access. It also recognizes the work of the Washington Office and other advocacy efforts to defend Net Neutrality.

“There are many forms of censorship. Tilting the playing field toward a few players is one of them,” said Office for Intellectual Freedom Director James LaRue.

The statement is endorsed by the Committee on Legislation, Intellectual Freedom Round Table, Committee on Professional Ethics, the American Association of School Librarians, Library Information Technology Association and IFC Privacy Subcommittee.