#RedAlert: The Senate CRA Vote and Why Latinos Need Net Neutrality Protections

It’s done. Yesterday, May 9, 2018, the U.S. Senate filed a Congressional Review Act (CRA) petition to force members to vote on reinstating the Net Neutrality protections that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) repealed in December 2017. All 49 Democratic Senators led by Senator Ed Markey signed the petition, and Republican Susan Collins has also announced support for the CRA. If the resolution is successful, Congress will be one step closer to restoring the strong consumer protections put in place by the FCC in 2015.

As the Senate gears up for the vote next week, it is important to reflect on why Latinos need Net Neutrality.

Net Neutrality is about our voice.

Latinos have historically and consistently been underrepresented in the traditional media. This has led to the negative and stereotypical misrepresentation of Latinos, which harms our communities’ ability to push back against these narratives. Simply, we have been severely limited in our access to use the traditional media to tell our own stories in our own words. That’s why access to the Internet, and Net Neutrality, the principles that ensure that Internet Service Providers (ISPs) such as AT&T, Comcast and Verizon keep the Internet as an open platform, is critical. It lowers barriers to entry and allows Latinos to tell our own stories in our own words.

Net Neutrality is about protecting civil rights.

Many of our current social movements that have sparked national conversations on race, sexual harassment, and immigration have started online. A few of the many examples are #BlackLivesMatter, #MeToo, and #NoBanNoWall. Net Neutrality is what protects the Internet as a democratizing tool for change. However, if Net Neutrality is repealed, our access and ability to create change and spark national movements will be solely controlled by corporate giants. The Internet is our vehicle to speak truth to power, and Net Neutrality is what ensures that the information superhighway is open and accessible.

Net Neutrality is about opportunity.

Our society is increasingly moving online — like how we interact with each other, our employers, businesses, healthcare providers, and schools. That’s why it is essential that we have Net Neutrality protections in place to ensure that once people are able to get online, they are not faced with increased costs to access specific websites or services. Access to an Open Internet means access to jobs, health services, and education. Without Net Neutrality we are guaranteeing an unequal playing field online and robbing many of economic opportunity and well being.

These are just a few of the good reasons why Latinos should support Net Neutrality and follow the #RedAlert campaign, which is being driven by our allies at Demand Progress, Fight for the Future and Free Press Action Fund. Public interest groups and popular websites across the Internet, like Reddit, Tinder, OK Cupid, Etsy, Tumblr, GitHub, Postmates, Imgur, Pornhub, Vimeo, Foursquare, Twilio, Private Internet Access, Mozilla, are also displaying the #RedAlert messages on their homepages.

To learn more about what you can do go to https://www.battleforthenet.com and contact your lawmakers.