Republicans Move To Undo Net Neutrality Rules

House Republicans are trying to overturn the already weak net neutrality rules the Federal Communications Commission ruled on in December. They’re claiming that Congress has not given the FCC the authority to regulate this. What I see is another way Republicans are trying to undermine already precarious Internet access regulations that will adversely affect Latinos, who tend to primarily access the Internet with wireless networks.

Earlier this week we reported that the net neutrality regulations decided on last December place a strong emphasis on wire line Internet net neutrality, but almost nothing protecting net neutrality on wireless networks. Which means, for all those Latinos who access the Internet wirelessly, the corporate providers of Internet will get to decide what content they get to see at what speed. PC Magazine reported:

…members of the House taking to the floor for a debate and vote on a proposed resolution that would overturn the Federal Communications Commission’s net neutrality rules.

Members voted 241 to 178 to take up H.J. Res. 37 later this week, but not before an hour-long debate during which Democrats and Republicans argued back and forth over whether net neutrality rules are necessary.

At the heart of the matter is whether government intervention will help preserve the status quo on the Internet or lead to a Web-based police state of sorts.

Luckily, PC Magazine reported, any bills challenging the rules adopted in December are likely not to pass the Senate or be signed by President Obama. Yet, the fact remains that, for Latinos and other groups whose access to the Internet is already limited, the future of Internet use is uncertain.

Think about it, with a government shutdown looming, Republicans in the House saw fit to take time to try to strip away watered-down Internet protections that adversely affect Latinos, people of color generally and people in the lower economic strata. Politicos are trying to make the future of the Internet about profits, not about access, and the people who will pay the most are going to be Latinos.

Amalia Deloney, grassroots policy director for the Center for Media who we interviewed recently, makes the case that Internet access is a social justice issue. Internet access is no longer a luxury that one can do without, she says. Without Internet access, you cannot apply for jobs, school, loans, housing, benefits, have access to information, etcetera, etcetera. So, if the Internet unlocks a better life, and access to that tool is limited according to what corporate Internet service providers want to give you, where does that leave the rest of us?

Follow Sara Inés Calderón on Twitter @SaraChicaD