Yesterday, LULAC’s Brent Wilkes wrote an op-ed in the San Jose Mercury News claiming that network neutrality safeguards “could inadvertently lead to a significant widening of the digital divide by slowing the penetration of advanced broadband technologies into Hispanic and other under-served minority communities.†Wilkes is the national executive director of the League of United Latin American Citizens.
Wilkes failed to disclose that LULAC has funding from both Comcast and AT&T, two of the biggest opponents of net neutrality. He should have told the editors about such a conflict of interest and had it prominently included in his op-ed. His position is bad public policy for those LULAC serves. Ironically, it is the very special interests Wilkes defends (Comcast, AT&T, etc.) that are opposed to meaningful policies that would deal with the digital divide. Network neutrality and universal broadband service for all go hand-in-hand. The LULAC board needs to examine its conflict of interest policy to make sure that whenever an official makes a statement, and there is funding from a related vested interest, it is publicly acknowledged.
See LULAC/Comcast release
See LULAC/AT&T Foundation release
From: 2007 LULAC National Legislative Awards Gala
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