'Old guard' civil rights groups blew it on net neutrality

[Commentary] The Federal Communications Commission got it right on "net neutrality." And so did countless progressive, people-powered groups, such as Color of Change, an online community (which I helped to found) dedicated to bringing about positive change for African-Americans. Ditto for tiny, grassroots dynamos like Oakland's Center for Media Justice, led by Malkia Cyril. You know who got it dead, dead wrong? As much as it pains me to say it: Far too many of our old-school civil rights organizations.

Internet service providers like Verizon and Comcast stood to make a killing from blocking this change. But what is shocking is that some trusted civil rights organizations -- including the National Urban League, NAACP, and Rainbow Push -- actively helped the ISPs make their case. Worst of all, it was a completely avoidable error. They should have known that the argument that large ISPs would expand access to under-served communities if they enjoyed higher profit margins was out of line with history and common sense. It was essentially "trickle-down dial-up," and you would not expect civil rights leadership to fall for it. The one hope is that it is not too late. Republicans and ISPs have given no indication that they will stop fighting or cease seeking to relitigate this battle. They will undoubtedly be eager to use civil rights groups as cover. In other words, some of the legacy civil rights groups got it wrong. But it is not too late for them to get on the right side of history.