FCC’s New Diversity Chair Lobbied Against Network Neutrality and Services for Minority Communities

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Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai selected Julia Johnson, president of a consulting firm called NetCommunications, to lead the FCC’s Advisory Committee on Diversity and Digital Empowerment, a group Chairman Pai said he established to champion the voice of every American, “no matter their race, gender, religion, ethnicity, or sexual orientation.” Despite the laudatory title and mission of the diversity committee, Johnson is a consultant who perfectly embodies the corporations-first agenda of President Donald Trump’s FCC.

Johnson has long worked on behalf of industry groups seeking to undermine consumer regulations and promote the interests of large corporate clients. Johnson also chairs the Multicultural Media, Telecom & Internet Council which is funded by Comcast, AT&T, Verizon, and other large telecommunications firms. MMTC’s pro-Trump administration statements, cast as being made on behalf of communities of color, are typical of Johnson’s approach. Over the years, Johnson has used racial minorities as a cudgel to disingenuously lobby on behalf of industry. Johnson’s history of “astroturfing,” a term for lobbying using fake grassroots groups, goes back more than a decade.


FCC’s New Diversity Chair Lobbied Against Network Neutrality and Services for Minority Communities