In case you missed it, two additional thought leaders added their perspectives this week to the broadband dialogue, both voicing concerns about the impact of net neutrality regulations.

Brent Wilkes, the Executive Director of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), one of the most prominent organizations representing Latino interests, discussed his views in an op-ed in the San Jose Mercury News.  Wilkes warns the FCC to use caution when moving forward with potential net neutrality rules:

“Some net neutrality advocates argue that the FCC should adopt rules that would insulate Internet applications companies such as Google, Yahoo and Skype from bearing any of the burden of these costs. The result would mean a de facto regressive ‘broadband tax’ on consumers. That would hit non-adopters in the Latino community and elsewhere particularly hard, as considerable data show that such cost-shifting onto consumers would deter adoption. Net neutrality rules should prevent broadband providers from engaging in anti-competitive behavior, but they should not be commandeered to insulate wealthy Internet applications companies from paying their fair share of the broadband bill.”

There was also an opinion piece in The Hill by Congressman Cliff Stearns (R-FL).  Rep. Stearns highlights the success of private investment in broadband deployment and warns against net neutrality regulation:

“Approximately 90 percent of the country has access to 10-megabit-per-second broadband. That’s not insignificant. Some are calling for 100 percent access to 100-megabit-per-second service. I support such aspirations, but we cannot spend our way to broadband nirvana. Our best hope remains the commercial market. This year alone, cable, wireline and wireless companies invested $60 billion. But the private sector is not going to foot a $350 billion tab if it must suffer under the thumb of an FCC Internet czar that micromanages how companies operate networks.”

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