Civil Rights Advocates Oppose House Bill to Block Net Neutrality

For Immediate Release

Contact: Chinyere Tutashinda, Communications Organizer Phone: 510-689-3800x409

House Legislation Attempts to Secretly Eliminate Net Neutrality

OAKLAND - Today, just one day before recently passed Federal Communications Commission Net Neutrality rules were set to go into effect, the House Appropriations subcommittee passed legislation that would defund the FCC budget by $25 million while eliminating vital provisions and consumer protections. The full committee is expected to vote on the proposal next week.More than 175 community based organizations of the Media Action Grassroots Network strongly oppose the legislative proposal, and are concerned that the last-minute legislative push by the House subcommittee guts the rules that prevent online discrimination and undermines the civil rights of communities of color in a digital age.The following statement can be attributed to Steven Renderos, Senior Campaign Manager of the Media Action Grassroots Network:“This legislative proposal is an anti-democratic attempt by some members of Congress to kill the Open Internet and defy the will of millions of people in the United States. As a network that represents some of America’s most misrepresented communities, the FCC’s Open Internet rules guarantee the only level playing field for our voices to be heard. The recent acts of police brutality in McKinney, TX and Baltimore, MD serve as proof that communities of color need an Open Internet where we speak for ourselves without corporate or government gatekeepers. The attack on Net Neutrality by the House Appropriations sub-committee only undermines our democracy, our economy and social vitality. Members of Congress, particularly those subcommittee members in the Congressional Black Caucus, need to stand up and protect the open Internet we fought so hard to preserve.”