ColorOfChange.org changing the color of democracy

Big Telecom fears any real regulations by the Federal Communications Commission that might prevent it from exploiting customers for astronomical profits. Our Executive Director, Rashad Robinson, recently published an op-ed in The Root, exposing what's really behind the industry's attack on "government regulation" — and how AT&T and Verizon are responsible for the biggest threat to the open Internet we've seen yet. Rashad explains:

Every monthly cable bill is a fresh reminder of how a lack of competition keeps us tied to underperforming, unresponsive telecom monopolies primarily dedicated to price-gouging their customers. Without the FCC serving as a watchdog — protecting our right to all access the same Web, no matter what telecom market we live in — broadband providers would be working overtime finding new ways to charge us even more for even less.

More than 21,000 ColorOfChange.org members called on their elected officials to oppose the Senate PROTECT IP Act (PIPA) and House Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), and both bills have now been shelved indefinitely. This victory is an important one for Internet users and activists, and for our democratic process. But the fundamental struggle over what the Internet is for — and what we should be able to see and do online — is only going to get more intense.

UPDATE: (01/18/12) Please join us in calling members of Congress to oppose any bill that suppresses our voices online.

Today the Internet is going black to oppose the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect IP Act (PIPA). We depend on an open Internet to strengthen the political voice of Black America. If Congress passes these online censorship measures, the full potential of that voice is threatened. The story of Black America should be told by those who live it. SOPA and PIPA threaten our ability to tell that story online. Today's protest is one of many actions needed to stop SOPA and PIPA.

This month, AT&T dropped its plans to merge with T-Mobile. Check out this op-ed in The Root in which ColorOfChange Executive Director Rashad Robinson discusses why the merger's failure was a significant win for Blacks, and the need for an open Internet. Here are some excepts from the article:

The announcement this month that the proposed merger has been stopped is a significant victory in the effort to ensure that all members of our community have affordable access to phone and Internet services. By blocking the merger, we have kept mobile service affordable during these tough economic times...

Do you use your cell phone to check email, post to Twitter or otherwise get online? If so, the investigation of the telecommunications industry that Colorlines published this week is a must-read.

Between the in-depth reporting and the easy-to-grasp infographics, the article provides the clear explanation that racial justice organizations working on telecom issues have been waiting for. News Editor Jamilah King lays out the "why" behind the often repeated stats about Black and Latino communities' disproportionate reliance on our cell phones to access the Internet. She also explains what motivates the competing forces facing off on net neutrality (oh, and what "net neutrality" even means), and how this policy fight has unfolded in the past four decades.

Read the rest at Loop21: http://loop21.com/politics/black-smartphone-users-have-lot-lose

The AT&T and T-Mobile deal just hit another major roadblock. First, the Department of Justice let the telecom giants know that it would stand with consumers against the monopoly move and reject the deal. And now the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has weighed in with a withering report that indicates they also understand what's at risk.

This Sunday, CNN's Black in America series will broadcast its fourth installment: Silicon Valley, The New Promised Land. Chronicling the journey of eight African-American techies and aspiring entrepreneurs, CNN investigates what it means to be Black in this predominately white, male environment. Jobs for Black folks in the tech industry are important, but our rights in the digital age are being attacked on multiple fronts.

Today the Senate rejected an effort to kill net neutrality by voting down a measure that would have given telecom corporations more power to limit Internet users' free speech. The measue would have allowed companies to block or discriminate against content and web applications. Yesterday, Louisiana ColorOfChange members called on Sen. Landrieu to do the right thing and she did-- joining the majority to stop the resolution.