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MMTC Seeks to Preserve Free and Open

Internet in FCC Filing

Posted by Navarrow Wright in PoliTech1 day ago

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Today, the Minority Media and Telecommunications Council (“MMTC”) announced that it,
along with 24 National Organizations representing the interests of minorities and women
across the country, filed comments before the Federal Communications Commission
regarding its further inquiry into two underdeveloped issues in the Open Internet
proceeding.

According to David Honig, President and Executive Director of MMTC, the groups filing in this
proceeding are “committed to preserving a free and open Internet and [have] long
supported the FCC’s four existing open Internet principles in addition to its proposed sixth
principle of transparency.” He cautioned against application of the Commission’s fifth
principle on non-discrimination, however, and “emphasize[d] that the FCC has both a legal
and moral duty to ensure that its proposed rules do not – in their very ‘neutrality’ – lock into
place and perpetuate the vast and current racial disparities in broadband access, adoption,
and informed use.”

Honig was joined on the call by Jason LLorenz, Executive Director of the Hispanic Technology
and Telecommunications Partnership (“HTTP”), an organization representing 20 Latino-
focused groups across the country, who noted that HTTP also feels “that rigid net neutrality
regulations [are] not the way to bring the benefits of broadband to the Hispanic community.”

Both Honig and Llorenz, as representatives of all the organizations that signed onto these
comments, “propose a consumer-focused and transparency-based approach to ensure the
Internet remains free and open.” They insisted that, “because of the inherent ‘shaming
culture’ of the Internet, we do not need draconian enforcement mechanisms to protect
consumers.”

When asked to clarify their stance on the non-discrimination principle, Honig noted that “it’s
important, first, to distinguish between the two uses of this word – discrimination.”

“In its colloquial context, most people understand it to refer to discrimination on the basis of
race, sex, national origin and so on,” he said. “The word also happens to have a meaning in
classical economics, and that’s the meaning assigned to it by the FCC in connection with this
proposed fifth net neutrality principle.”

Honig reiterated the importance of recognizing that MMTC and the National Organizations
that joined in this filing have endorsed five of the six net neutrality principles proposed by
the FCC, and that they only take issue with the potential detrimental impact that application
of the economic non-discrimination principle could have on small, disadvantaged, women
and minority owned businesses.

“Those five principles are what we believe are the core of what an open Internet should look
like,” said Honig.

Citing concerns about reductions in jobs, investment, broadband access and adoption, MMTC
in its filing encourages the Commission to take a closer look at the potential impact that too
rigid rules – particularly those applied in the wireless space – could have on “the progress
that’s been made with the Internet in its free wheeling, and frankly disruptive form
presently, and over the last several years, toward closing the digital divide and really
empowering minority communities in the digital age.”
Author: Navarrow Wright

Navarrow is the President of Maximum Leverage Solutions, a consulting firm that delivers
Internet, social media strategy and technology development consulting to its clients.
Navarrow is also a principal at Londonberry ( http://www.londonberry.com), a web
development and strategy firm. Navarrow Co-founded with Hip Hop Mogul, Russell Simmons
to create a social media site catering to the hip-hop perspective, Global Grind.com. With
funding from Accel Partners, the primary investors of Facebook, “Wright successfully
launched the product and raised the series A round of capitol. Wright also launched a
vertical ad network and celebrity blogger network while at Globalgrind. You can follow him
on twitter @navarrowwright.

Related Articles:

FCC Seeks Further Clarification for Internet Regulations

Communications Giants Collaborate to Preserve An Open Internet
MMTC: Minority Interests At Stake After Failed Waxman Legislation
Clear Channel Facilitates MMTC Minority, Women Incubation Efforts
Loss for the FCC is ‘Huge Win’ for Civil Rights Enforcement

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Comments (3) Login

Sort by: Date Rating Last Activity

AvaView · 17 hours ago 0

We have big gaps in Internet access in place now that must be addressed.

Our new broadband policy must address this. David Honig is correct — a purely "neutral" policy
on broadband access would hardly be neutral at all. It would simply continue the inequalities in
access for a generation.

That would be terrible news for minority communities and minority entrepreneurs — and for the
country as a whole.

We must have a policy on broadband access that addresses these gaps and inequalities — not
one that sweeps the issue under the rug.

Reply Report
 Observer · 16 hours ago 0

Good for the MMTC — more people need to be aware of the long-term ramifications of this
broadband policy.

It will write the rules of how we connect to the Internet — and it will affect who gets on, and at
what cost.

Tremendously important — and a great opportunity, if done as D. Honig lays out, to fix some
underlying problems that exist now, problems that are limiting access to the Web for millions of
Americans.

Get involved, everyone, so this is done well and right — the status quo is not good. We need to
do better — we need a policy that broadens access, not furthers the current imbalance.

Reply Report

Jorge Baurmeister · 8 hours ago 0

This is music to my ears. I am very glad to see that both MMTC and HTTP are taking a leadership
role on this issue. Latinos need a greater voice in this debate and both of these organizations are
protecting the interests of this segment of the population. Latinos have much to benefit from a
free and open Internet, and the current Internet structure IS allowing Latinos to get more
involved, particularly in business. In fact, a recent report outlines that Hispanic-owned
businesses are increasing at more than double the national rate. I have no doubt that broadband
is certainly contributing to this growth (http://latinointernetjustice.com/2010/10/hispanic-
owned-businesses-increasing-at-more-than-double-the-national-rate/). We need to protect this
industry from unwarranted and stifling regulation by the FCC.

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