The Alliance for Digital Equality has mobilized at the same time Congress and the Federal Communications Commission are grappling with new rules governing net neutrality, a principle that has governed the way the Internet has operated since its inception.
Under the concept of net neutrality, Internet service providers like AT&T and Comcast can't interfere with web traffic or slow down or block certain websites of their choosing.
Public-interest groups say some of the big telecoms, AT&T included, want a tiered Internet pricing system, deciding which sites and applications load faster according to who pays the most. Critics say such a system would destroy open and equal access to the Internet.
Joseph Torres, senior adviser for the nonprofit, nonpartisan group Free Press, said AT&T's policies, as articulated by ADE, are "extremely harmful" for communities of color.
"The open Internet allows everyone, and in this case people of color, to have their own voice and speak for themselves without having any gatekeepers," Torres said. "Our community — we own very few radio stations and television stations because they're too expensive. The Internet allows us to compete on a more level playing field because the barriers to entry (are) very low to establish an online media presence."
ADE tried to influence policy makers after the FCC announced in 2009 it was working toward new rules on net neutrality. Its members took part in interviews with national and local media, wrote letters to newspapers and met with congressional leaders.
Hollis, in an Oct. 14, 2009, letter to the FCC co-signed by Marks and other ADE officials, wrote that "misguided legislation and regulation" could unintentionally make broadband less affordable and accessible, especially for "communities of color."
In December 2010, the FCC issued its regulations, which kept in place protections for wired Internet connections but left fewer protections for wireless ones. Republicans in the U.S. House are challenging the new rules; the U.S. Senate is expected to take them up in the fall.
President Barack Obama has stated support for network neutrality, though he also applauded the new FCC rules, which critics say was a compromise resulting after intense pressure from the telecom industry.