A battle is heating up over the future of the Internet and in that battle, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) must stand up for the public's interest.

The FCC has been moving to establish its authority to regulate broadband network providers. An FCC hearing soliciting comments from the public is expected today, June 17.

Broadband companies are kicking and screaming at the possibility of oversight. They want to be able to set up discriminatory pricing schemes that threaten to push and leave masses of poor people in the slow lane of the Internet. These vulnerable communities include Latinos. A recent FCC study found that only 49 percent of Latino households have broadband access.

The concern over unchecked broadband operators, controlled by a handful of corporations, is hardly unfounded. Comcast was caught intentionally delaying and blocking people's access to the Internet. This, in effect, is censorship. And this power to determine access was made all the more worse because the FCC's hands were tied.

Instead, the FCC must be in a strong position to pass "net neutrality" rules – policies that preserve and advance an open and equally accessible Internet. President Obama and a host of leaders have pledged to protect net neutrality.

Opponents of net neutrality claim it will deter investment by big telecomms in communities of color: If the profits of telecoms are restricted, they won't be able to direct funds into helping marginalized communities.

But trickle-down economics has never been a fundamental solution. And the problem is not net neutrality. It is the resistance of telecomms to regulations that would prevent them from placing roadblocks in front of community organizers, small businesses and low-income communities. A drive toward a digital chasm is not the answer.

The Internet, unlike other mediums, has allowed for the vast flow of ideas and information. This empowers communities and furthers democracy. An open, equitable Internet should be the standard.