As broadband prices have come down, the number of people with high-speed Internet access has increased – particularly in minority communities. But as Gus West writes in a Denver Post guest commentary, “For Hispanics, Net neutrality isn’t neutral at all,” this increase could be adversely affected by government interference.
It would be a shame if the last people on the Internet – largely African Americans and Hispanics who have just joined the broadband generation – were to be the first ones off. That would happen if broadband prices increase – a likely outcome of policies that would raise costs for the providers of broadband networks.
In a report we released earlier this year, “Affordable Broadband: Empowering Communities Across the Digital Divide,” we show the impact broadband has for minorities. The wider availability of broadband Internet connections has led to increased access to education, health care and civic involvement among minority communities.
We need to pursue policies that stand firm against increased regulation of the Internet, which will lead to higher prices and limited opportunities for those who need them the most. Let’s encourage continued open competition, which will keep prices low and will fuel the continuing growth in access to broadband, described in our study as “among the rare technologies that can fundamentally transform the way people live.”
