I am writing to applaud Sen. Olympia Snowe for her heroic stance in support of Internet freedom. Snowe is among a handful of senators who are standing up to the largest phone and cable companies that want to turn the Internet into a private toll road.

Large cable and telephone companies like AT&T, BellSouth and Comcast are planning to do away with Net neutrality. They’re pushing legislation through Congress that allows them to undermine consumer choice and control which Web sites get priority over everything else.

Anyone who cares about preserving the free and open Internet should thank Snowe for standing up to the corporations and their lobbyists. And they should demand that all of Maine’s elected representatives vote against any telecommunications legislation that doesn’t offer meaningful protection for Net neutrality.

Michele Green

Westfield