The Internet has created huge opportunities for Black people and all Americans. But some Black members of Congress are helping big phone and cable companies attack the open Internet. Join us in calling on all members of the Congressional Black Caucus to stand with the public, not big corporations, and protect the open Internet.

Dear ColorOfChange.org member,

From jobs to civil rights, when the interests of Black Americans are threatened, we’ve counted on the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) to step up and advocate for what's right. Now we need them again — this time in the fight to save the Internet from telephone and cable companies that want to control what you can see and do online.

It's a critical battle — no new technology has ever had as much potential as the Internet for lifting up Black communities politically, economically, educationally, and culturally.

Sadly, many in the CBC have taken positions that would snuff out that potential. Most on the wrong side have simply been taken in by the lies of telecommunications industry lobbyists. But others have taken large financial contributions from telecoms and appear to be willingly carrying water for their biggest donors.¹

It's unacceptable, whatever the reason. The CBC needs to understand that Internet freedom is in the vital interest of Black communities. Please join us in calling on the Congressional Black Caucus to support a free and open Internet, and then ask your friends and family to do the same. It takes just a second:

http://www.colorofchange.org/nncbc/

The threat to the Internet

The Federal Communications Commission is trying to protect Internet freedom by ensuring that data you put online can travel across the Internet just as quickly as anyone else’s.² This simple principle is the reason the Internet is so diverse, and so powerful. Anyone’s website or blog can compete on equal footing with the biggest corporations.

That has allowed countless Black entertainers, writers, politicians and entrepreneurs to thrive online. For the first time in history, everyday Black Americans can communicate with a global audience without prohibitive costs or permission from government or industry.

But big broadband providers want to create a new system where they can charge large fees to speed up some data while leaving those who can’t afford to pay behind — and irrelevant.³ Such a system would give wealthier voices the power to drown out or even silence poorer voices, stunting the Internet's amazing equalizing potential.

CBC complicity?

Some Black members of Congress — most recently Representatives Barbara Lee, Maxine Waters, John Conyers, Donna Edwards, Keith Ellison, and Donald Payne — have stepped up to champion an Internet free of corporate control. Their efforts should be applauded.⁴

But many others have remained silent, or worse — they’ve signed on to industry-backed letters designed to weaken support for Internet freedom. And two CBC members have taken especially notable roles in attacking Internet freedom:

Rep. Greg Meeks (D-NY) - For years, AT&T and Verizon have been among Meeks’ biggest donors.⁵ In October 2009, he collected 70 signatures from his colleagues on an industry-backed letter — written after consulting AT&T⁶ — designed to weaken support for Internet freedom.

Meeks may claim that his major motivation is protecting jobs. But there’s no credible evidence that protecting Internet freedom will lead to job losses or decreased investment — in fact, evidence suggests the contrary.⁷ But in the face of massive support from telecoms, it appears that Meeks has only truly considered one side of the argument.

Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL) – AT&T has long been one of Rush's largest donors.⁸ Then, from 2001 – 2004, they donated $1 million to a community center Rush founded in Chicago.⁹ Since then, Rush has been a leader in the effort to eliminate Internet freedom. In 2006, Rush helped convince many members of the CBC to kill a measure that would have enshrined Internet freedom into law.¹⁰ And since that time, he has supported other efforts to weaken Internet freedom protections.¹¹

Some cynical voices may say that this appearance of quid pro quo is unremarkable because it's just the way Washington works. But we must demand more of our elected representatives, especially those who claim to represent the interests of Black communities as the legacy of the civil rights movement and the "conscience of the Congress."

It starts here. By calling on the Congressional Black Caucus to support Internet freedom, you're not just helping to preserve the promise of the Internet for Black folks and all America. You're also sending a strong message to Black members of Congress that you're paying attention, and won't let them get away with advocating against the interests of the communities they serve.

Please add you voice to our petition, and please ask your friends and family to do the same.

http://www.colorofchange.org/nncbc/

Thanks and Peace,

-- James, Gabriel, William, Dani, Milton and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
   September 16th, 2010

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References:

1. "Members of ColorOfChange.org Call on Congressional Black Caucus to Support Broadband Reclassification," ColorOfChange.org press release, 5-28-2010
https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1ROrHWjQO-uSHXcSXYcNxVOqqYGtk1MRx-dt4bgp0GuE

2. "Frequently Asked Questions," Save the Internet
http://www.savetheinternet.com/frequently-asked-questions

3. "Threats to an Open Internet," Save the Internet
http://www.savetheinternet.com/threats-open-internet

4. "32 House Democrats stand up to Comcast and AT&T, protect the Internet," FireDogLake, 6-17-2010
http://seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/55369

5. "Top Contributors, Greg Meeks," OpenSecrets.org
http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/contrib.php?cycle=Career&cid=N00001171&type=I

6. "In Black Caucus, a Fund-Raising Powerhouse," New York Times, 2-14-2010
http://documents.nytimes.com/lipton-cbc-docs#document/p18

7. "Why Consumers Demand Internet Freedom," Free Press, 5-2006
http://www.freepress.net/files/nn_fact_v_fiction_final.pdf

8. "Top Contributors, Bobby Rush," OpenSecrets.org
http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/contrib.php?cycle=Career&cid=N00004887&type=I

9."Rep. Bobby Rush, AT&T's Million Dollar Man," Black Commentator, 4-27-2006
http://www.blackcommentator.com/181/181_cbc_monitor_bobby_rush_pf.html

10. Ibid.

11. See link 1