WASHINGTON D.C. — The National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC) has remained steadfast in supporting a free and open internet. On this day, June 11, 2019 - the Net Neutrality Day of Action, the civil rights nonprofit implores the U.S. Senate to pass the Save the Internet Act (H.R. 1644), which recently passed the U.S. House of Representatives on a vote of 232-190.
According to Alex Nogales, President and CEO of NHMC: "Net neutrality is one of the most important civil rights and racial justice issues of our time. An open internet is a place to organize, unionize and build social movements that drive change in our society. It has transformed healthcare, the arts, politics and education, and has provided incredible economic opportunities without gatekeepers standing in the way.
What would it mean without an open internet? Corporate censorship would dominate online, and the diverse stories, perspectives and voices of Latinos and other communities of color would suffer. And given there exists a polarizing, significant racial wealth divide between White U.S. households and households of color, a discriminatory fee to access faster lanes would likely silence the marginalized and underserved, including Latinos.
American Latinos represent 18.9% of the population. If they do not have internet access, they will be shut out of the 2020 census, which is essential in providing an accurate distribution of $800 billion dollars in public funds to states and localities nationwide. We cannot let that happen. We must be counted accurately and that means having internet access in cities and rural areas.
Today, on the 2019 Net Neutrality Day of Action, NHMC strongly implores members of the U.S. Senate to consider digital equity for all Americans. Our Congress must embrace freedom of speech and expression online - the same ideals protected in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution."
