Sunday, December 7, 2014

Net Neutrality Splits Minority Opinion- the NY Times

How do you feel about net neutrality? It has caused dissension among a lot of people who would otherwise be allies, reports the New York Times..

BUSINESS DAY

Obama’s Net Neutrality Bid Divides Civil Rights Groups

By EDWARD WYATTDEC. 7, 2014

Nicol Turner-Lee, vice president of the Minority Media and Telecommunications Council, in her Washington office last week. CreditT.J. Kirkpatrick for The New York Times

WASHINGTON — When President Obama laid out his vision for strict regulation of Internet access last month, he was voicing views thought to be held by many at the most liberal end of the Democratic Party.

A few days later, however, the N.A.A.C.P., the National Urban League and the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition sent representatives, including the Rev. Jesse Jackson, to tell Tom Wheeler, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, that they thought Mr. Obama’s call to regulate broadband Internet service as a utility would harm minority communities by stifling investment in underserved areas and entrenching already dominate Internet companies.

Their displeasure should not be read as a sign that most civil rights organizations were unhappy with Mr. Obama’s plan, however. When it comes to the details of Internet regulation, groups that otherwise have much common ground simply don’t see eye to eye.

To find out what this all means, go to:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/08/business/obamas-net-neutrality-bid-divides-civil-rights-groups.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=first-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0