Net Neutrality Vote Bad For Latinos

We wrote about the potential impact net neutrality could have on Latinos previously and now that the Federal Communications Commission has taken a vote on this issue, we’re back with the results. Although, as Erik Sherman points out, the FCC “vote” didn’t really decide anything. Nonetheless, it’s important to keep abreast of these developments because the potential impact on Latinos — who access the Internet primarily via mobile phones and wireless — is huge. We previously turned to The Root for this information and they’re back again this time with some startling news. James Rucker from ColorOfChange.org said the following:

“[The vote is] a loss for our communities. We’re starting down the path of what we saw with broadcast radio, with cable television: where essentially, marginalized voices from communities that already have a hard time communicating in their own voices, politically organizing — those communities are more than likely destined to be second-class players when it comes to the Internet.”

Net neutrality means that Internet Service Providers (ISPs) like Verizon and AT&T that provide Internet service won’t be able to decide who’s signal is delivered more or less quickly. According to Rucker, the FCC’s recent vote isn’t truly net neutrality because they DO allow tiering, which means some information may travel faster than other information, and wireless — where most Latinos and African-Americans get their Internet (phones) — is not protected.

This is a serious issue that we at NewsTaco intend to cover more in the future. In the meantime, let us know what you think.