Huffington Post - Malkia A. Cyril: A New Civil Rights Mandate: Champion Open Networks to Close the Digital Divide

Malkia A. Cyril: A New Civil Rights Mandate: Champion Open Networks to Close the Digital Divide:

"Now, the FCC is on the verge of calling broadband a universal service and unlocking the federal government's deep resources and rules to subsidize the build out of broadband networks to these constituencies. But, without enshrining the principles of an open Internet in that plan and a clear definition of how telecom companies should manage networks, the FCC runs the risk of allowing a discriminatory Internet system to thrive. Naturally, these telecom companies view such a plan as a threat, and would rather strip those protections from any regulation. Congress and the FCC represent the public, not private interests. That mandate suggests they must not cede the Internet -what FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn called the greatest communications advancement of our generation- to corporate greed. I applaud Commissioner Clyburn's position, and stand with her."