SAN FRANCISCO, CA – ColorOfChange.org today announced a new campaign directed at the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) regarding their opposition to the FCC’s efforts to protect the free and open nature of the Internet. The campaign, which involves members placing more than 1,750 phone calls to eight members of the CBC urging they represent the interest of their constituents and not those of the telecommunications and cable industries, comes after the Representatives signed on to a letter from Congressman Gene Green (D-TX) which opposes the FCC’s efforts.

ColorOfChange.org members called on the CBC members to remove their names from Green’s letter which they feel recycles misinformation being propagated by the telecom industry. Last month, a federal court removed the FCC’s authority to enact the most basic consumer protections over broadband given its current classification, which was decided upon by a previous set of commissioners.

The court ruled that the agency did not have the authority to institute the desired protections while broadband was designated an information (or Title I) service, over which the FCC has limited jurisdiction. The ruling prevented the FCC from implementing proposed rules on network neutrality and cast a cloud of uncertainty over its authority to implement portions of the National Broadband Plan intended to close the digital divide. Earlier this month, the FCC announced it would reassert its authority to enact limited regulation of broadband by reclassifying it as a communication (or Title II) service.

In response, telecommunications industry lobbyists have stepped up their efforts to influence lawmakers. Rep. Green’s letter parrots long-debunked arguments that serve the interests of major industry players and threaten the FCC’s ability to make rulings that would expand broadband access.

“Our members are deeply concerned that by signing Green’s letter, black members of Congress are taking a stance that fails to secure our digital rights,” said James Rucker, executive director of ColorOfChange.org.

“Some CBC members have perhaps signed Rep. Green’s letter without fully understanding what is at stake while others seem to know, but are serving other interests. There is a significant correlation between those leading the charge and those accepting significant contributions from the industry which stands to benefit from the FCC being rendered impotent. In either case, our members are eager to make clear how important this issue is to our community and to Americans in general, and to explain why they see this as a 21st century civil rights issue.”

Earlier last week, ColorOfChange.org sent letters to CBC members to educate them on Rep. Green’s letter and urge them not to side with industry giants like Verizon, AT&T and Comcast on net neutrality. When the group learned that Representatives G.K. Butterfield (D-NC), Yvette Clarke (D-NY), Lacy Clay (D-MO), Alcee Hastings (D-FL), Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), Greg Meeks (D-NY), Bobby Rush (D-IL), and Bennie Thompson (D-MS) added their names to Green’s letter, ColorOfChange.org members placed calls to their offices asking them to reconsider.

The chart below shows contribution totals from telecom and cable industry corporations to CBC members who’ve signed Green’s letter: Name Total Contributions (2010 cycle) G.K. Butterfield $33,500.00 Yvette Clarke $13,000.00 Lacy Clay $12,000.00 Alcee Hastings $23,500.00 Eddie Bernice Johnson $19,000.00 Gregory Meeks $27,000.00 Bobby Rush $32,500.00 Bennie Thompson $29,500.00

Sources: https://secure.freepress.net/site/SPageNavigator/NN_members and http://www.opensecrets.org

With more than 600,000 members, ColorOfChange.org is the largest African-American online political organization in the country.