Color Of Change tells members of Congressional Black Caucus to stop lobbying against net neutrality
14th July 2014 · 0 Comments
By Frederick H. Lowe
Contributing Writer
(Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from TheNorthStar-News.com) — Color Of Change, an Internet-based civil rights organization, has launched a campaign to persuade10 members of the Congressional Black Caucus to stop lobbying against net neutrality.
The Internet has allowed Black bloggers, activists and entrepreneurs to flourish online despite being blocked out of ownership and participation by traditional media, ColorOfChange officials said.
“Ten members of the Congress-ional Black Caucus recently signed a letter to the Federal Communications Commission attacking net neutrality, the principle that prevents Internet service providers from discriminating online. All of these members have taken thousands in campaign contributions from the telecom industry,” Color Of Change charged in a letter posted on its website.
The 10 are: U.S. Reps. Bobby Rush, G.K. Butterfield, Sanford Bishop, Corrine Brown, Lacy Clay, Alcee Hastings, Gregory Meeks, David Scott, Bennie Thompson and Marc Veasey, according to Color of Change. They are all Democrats. Butterfield is vice chair of the CBC. There were 44 members of the Congressional Black Caucus in the 113th Congress, according to the organization’s media kit.
Color Of Change charged: “Big cable and phone companies have spent millions to influence the Congressional Black Caucus. Now some Black representatives are attacking Internet freedom with deceptive arguments.”
This is an important time for all members of the Congressional Black Caucus to support net neutrality, ColorOfChange officials said.
The FCC is now considering reclassifying Internet service as a public utility that would give the agency strong authority to enforce net neutrality for the public good.
Color Of Change notes that U.S. Reps. Keith Ellison, Barbara Lee, John Lewis, John Conyers, Donna Edwards, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Charlie Rangel, Bobby Scott and Andre Carson support net neutrality. Carson is secretary of the Congressional Black Caucus.
The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, the nonprofit arm of the Congressional Black Caucus, will hold its 44th annual legislative conference Sept. 24 to 27 in Washington, D.C.
This article originally published in the July 14, 2014 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.
