Net Neutrality and the Chamber of Horrors

Chambers of commerce of various colors and sexual
orientations have banded together to highlight what they say are the
"stifling" effects the FCC's proposed network neutrality rules could
have on innovative broadband services.

The National Black Chamber of Commerce, the U.S. Hispanic
Chamber of Commerce and the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce are
holding a press conference Tuesday (Feb. 2) to talk about their filing at the
FCC on the issue.

The commission has proposed expanding and codifying its
network neutrality rules. The proposal has been supported by some
minority organizations
, who argue that the rules are necessary to insure
equal access to a fundamental technology and economic opportunity, while other
minority groups have countered that the rules could discourage private
investment that would extend that technology to un-served and underserved
populations, which tend to be disproportionately minority and poorer
communities.

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.