New vs. old civil rights groups tackled on net neutrality

Popular Resistance - The fight over federal regulation of the Internet should have been an easy victory for the big guys, especially when it came to marshaling the communities of color. Major telecom companies like Verizon and Comcast had the groups like the NAACP, the Multicultural Media and Telecom Council or MMTC and Urban League behind them.

But the issue turned into a battle between David and Goliath when a coalition of smaller, online civil rights organizations took net neutrality to the virtual streets.

By using social media aggressively and persuasively, the online civil rights groups helped convince the Federal Communications Commission to reclassify the Internet as a public utility that would be regulated under Title II of the 1934 Communications Act. (Think in terms of basic television, a utility, and cable television, for which consumers pay a premium.)

However, the battle isn’t over.  The losers have started lobbying Congress and folks on both sides expect the issue of Internet regulation will eventually land in court.

Still, the question remains: How did groups like Color of Change, The National Hispanic Media Coalition, and 18 Million Rising overcome the clout of some of the country’s most respected, and oldest, civil rights groups? 18 Million Rising started by listening to their constituents instead of talking to them, said the organization’s new media director Cayden Mak.

The group was originally established to mobilize Asian-American millennials during the 2012 election cycle. From there, it turned to other issues such as immigration. After hearing from network members, the group took a closer look at net neutrality. Mak said many folks were hearing from constituents angered by the MMTC’s advocacy for regulating the Internet.