I had known about it since the first leaks, but what with it seeming like a ways off every time it got brought up, other Internet crapping bills in the interim, being one of the least talked about, and real life taking up much of my time, it still managed to sneak up on me. Should've had it on a calendar or something. When the Fast Track passed, I was so terrified we would fail. I must admit to my great shame that I had little hope left of preventing its passage, and I blame myself for letting my panic get in the way of doing more to help. Can't let it happen again.
@Colonial2.1:
I think it's a bit more complicated than that. A defecit of net-savvy people overall, yes. But each side in this conflict that has a stake knows what the Internet is, today, very well. The issue is, each side also has a vision of what the Internet will be, what they want it to be. Each side sees a very different value in the Internet's existence. We are like armies fighting over the destiny of the messiah-child, or like that movie CHAPPiE. Victory in the long game is dependent on us convincing the non-savvy people that ours is the more worthy and just cause, that "our" Internet is the most beneficial to all. But our enemies are the ones with all the means and power to change minds in the most subtle and effective ways.
Think about all the adverts and commercials you've seen for Internet service (there's probably a lot of overlap with phones, too) and answer me this question: What are the benefits of the Internet that are most often and heavily mentioned?