FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 4, 2015
CONTACT Brian Pacheco, NHMC bpacheco@www.nhmc.org 213-718-0732 (m) 626-792-6462 (o)
NHMC Commends FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler's Network Neutrality Proposal
Proposal a Historic Move to Protect Consumers on Communications Platform of the 21st Century
In a Wired.com piece published Wednesday, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Tom Wheeler discussed his proposed open Internet rules, which the FCC is set to vote on Feb. 26. "I am proposing that the FCC use its Title II authority to implement and enforce open internet protections," Wheeler wrote. He will submit to his colleagues "enforceable, bright-line rules [that] ban paid prioritization, and the blocking and throttling of lawful content and services." In addition, Wheeler stated that rules should fully apply to mobile broadband. He will also refrain from certain Title II regulations, such as rate regulation, tariffing and last-mile unbundling. Finally, the FCC chairman proposed a general conduct rule to prevent "new and novel threats to the internet" to "deal with the realities of today, but also to establish ground rules for the as yet unimagined." "Today NHMC congratulates Chairman Wheeler and the countless hardworking and discerning FCC officials and staff members that have filtered through ISP talking points to reach the truth: that strong open Internet protections under Title II are critical to protecting equality in the digital age," stated NHMC's Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Jessica J. González. "I am particularly pleased that the protections will apply to mobile broadband. Too many poor folks, Latinos and other people of color rely on mobile connections as their sole internet onramps. By extending protections to mobile connections, the FCC protects those folks as well as it can from becoming second-class digital citizens," González added. "We are very pleased with what we are hearing in the press, and we will continue to meet with FCC staff between now and February 26 to ensure that the proposal's fine points protect consumers as well as the broad strokes Chairman Wheeler outlined today," stated NHMC's Policy Director, Michael Scurato. NHMC has long advocated for strong open Internet protections under Title II to ensure that Latinos have access to all of the opportunities that the Internet affords: education, entrepreneurship, democratic engagement, and especially, the ability to tell our own stories without the gatekeepers we have faced in traditional media. For more information about NHMC's advocacy in this area, visit www.nhmc.org/openinternet.###
About NHMC
The National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC) is a media advocacy and civil rights organization for the advancement of Latinos, working towards a media that is fair and inclusive of Latinos, and towards universal, affordable, and open access to communications. Learn more at www.nhmc.org. Receive real-time updates on Facebookand Twitter @NHMC.
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