November 8, 2009David HonigGeneral CounselBroadband Opportunity Coalitionc/o Minority Media and Telecommunications Council3636 16th Street N.W. #B-366Washington, D.C. 20010Dear Mr. Honig:We write to applaud your recent letter to the Federal Communications Commissionurging that the agency focus on increasing broadband adoption and expanding broadbandnetwork capacity. No aspect of broadband policy is more critical than closing the digital divide. Our national conscience cannot tolerate the fact that 37% of Americans – disproportionatelyAfrican American and Hispanic – are not plugged into the broadband miracle. And sincethe nation’s thirst for bandwidth doubles every two years, more network capacity must beamong the most critical components of closing the digital divide. The need for highcapacity backbone, middle mile and last mile service is especially critical in the unservedsmall communities and underserved large cities we are privileged to represent.Unfortunately, the FCC’s broadband conversation, still in its early stages, has beeninfected by some profoundly disturbing comments attacking both federal officials andcivil rights organizations.The organizations making these statements, have repeatedly sought to impugn theintegrity, independence and intelligence of members of the Congressional Black Caucusand leaders of the civil rights community who have made adoption and expandednetwork capacity their highest priorities.In publicly attacking several of the nation’s leading civil rights organizations, oneorganization recently published a statement that “minorities – blacks, Hispanics and evenAsians” are supporting points of view that “hurt the people they claim to represent.”Other organizations have regularly peddled these and other offensive claims to the newsmedia and public via web postings.To be sure, the digital elite – those fortunate enough to be tech-savvy and desirous of high capacity very fast service for their personal enjoyment – are entitled torepresentation in Washington. But the organizations that represent elite consumers haverarely come into our communities, employed our constituents, or drawn on the expertiseof those who have labored for two decades trying to get minority communities connectedto broadband. Many feel that these organizations are pushing a regulatory perspectivethat would regressively shift the costs of bandwidth onto middle- and low-incomeconsumers, thereby discouraging universal broadband adoption and widening the digitaldivide.