Profiles in leadership or cowardice

Much ink has been spilled about the corrosive effects of money on politics, and few issues illustrate this principle more than the fight over net neutrality.

Net Neutrality would require Internet Service Providers (ISPs) like Comcast, AT&T and Verizon to treat all online content equally. But the ISPs oppose the Federal Communications Commission’s plan to adopt strong net neutrality rules later this month.

{mosads}Instead, they have spent millions lobbying the FCC and Congress to gut Net Neutrality and allow them create a slow lane online for those who can’t afford to pay extra to speed up their content.

But open Internet activists are on the verge of a rare but historic David-vs-Goliath victory. On Feb. 26, the FCC is expected to adopt the strongest net neutrality rules in the agency’s history.

If the agency goes forward as planned, it will result in a victory that seemed unlikely a year ago after a federal court struck down the Commission’s Net Neutrality rules. The court ruled the commission had to reestablish its legal authority to enforce Net Neutrality rules by reclassifying ISPs as common carriers under Title II of the Communications Act.

Since then, more than four million people, about 50 Democrats and President Obama have all called on the FCC to reclassify ISPs as a “common carrier.” So did more than  100 racial justice and civil rights groups, including scores of Latino organizations. In addition,  ISPs like Sprint and Google have also told the FCC they do not oppose Title II.

While public support for Net Neutrality has been nothing less than historic, the same can’t be said of the support from the Latino congressional delegation.

While Net neutrality is essential to protecting the Latino community’s voice online,  our elected Latino congressional leaders have failed to fight for the digital rights of our community.

Only two of the 26 members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus — Reps. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Jose Serrano (D-N.Y.) — have called on the FCC to protect the open Internet by treating ISPs as a common carriers. Meanwhile, three other CHC members have aligned themselves with the phone and cable lobby to oppose net neutrality; Reps. Loretta Sanchez (D-Calif.), Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) and Albio Sires (D-N.J.). 

It is unacceptable for elected Latino congressional members, who claim to represent the interest of our community to remain silent on one of the most important free speech issues of our time.  It is also troubling since many of the CHC members might be ignoring how vital the open Internet is to the Latino community’s educational, social, political, and economic well being due to their financial ties to the phone and cable industries.

This is why we have to remind them that Net Neutrality guarantees that the Internet remains a vital source of innovation, a platform for free, vibrant speech, and a tool for economic uplift for the Latino community.

It has meant that Latinos can start new businesses and have access to the same Internet speeds as a company like Google, AT&T, Comcast, Walmart or Netflix. Without net neutrality, telecoms would be free to give preferential speeds to big companies that can afford to pay a lot of extra money, putting new competitors at a distinct disadvantage.

That does not suggest all members of the CHC are consciously, intentionally on the take from telecoms. On the contrary, we think many CHC members want to do the right thing and support FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler’s proposal to protect Net Neutrality. But the fear of alienating important and deep-pocketed donors may countervail the desire of CHC members to speak up.  But this isn’t courage.  And their silence won’t be regarded as heroic by history but as an alignment with the deep pocketed opponents of Net Neutrality.

I hope, for all of us, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus steps up to the plate with real leadership, and offers up examples of new profiles in courage for this digital generation.

Carmona is executive director of Presente.org.