Civil rights groups are split when it comes to network neutrality

A number of civil rights organizations and diversity groups overwhelmingly back a proposal that would lightly regulate broadband providers. But other groups representing minorities as well as consumer advocates and other public interest groups want to make sure that Internet service providers are regulated closely to be sure they don't slow down the traffic speeds of Web sites they don't like or compete against.

The strange juxtaposition can be plainly observed in the letters sent by these groups to the Federal Communications Commission. Nearly 100 organizations, consisting largely of Asian- and Hispanic-American groups, have asked the FCC to aggressively regulate broadband providers such as Time Warner Cable or Verizon. The letter, which is signed by Color of Change, Presente, the National Hispanic Media Coalition and others, asks FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler to start regulating Internet providers under Title II of the Communications Act -- the same step proposed by President Barack Obama recently when he asked the FCC for tougher Internet rules himself.

"The fight for an open Internet is not just about broadband access and corporate investment," the letter reads. "It is also a fight for real representation for the most vulnerable constituencies in the United States." Roughly four dozen minority organizations, many of them representing African-Americans, have opposed aggressive regulations on Internet providers -- mostly on the grounds that stiff rules could discourage broadband companies from upgrading networks in poorer neighborhoods. They also argue that new broadband business models, such as exempting certain Web services from consumers' data caps, helps encourage the adoption of Internet among minorities and the poor. But this practice, known as "zero rating," cuts against the principle of net neutrality because it requires Internet providers to be able to give some Web services, like music apps, priority over others.