BREAKING: Equality California sends retraction to FCC.

Interim Executive Director of Equality California, Jim Carroll, who spoke with the Blade yesterday about Equality California’s letter to the FCC seeming to support the telecom industry’s position on net neutrality has retracted the October 2009 letter in a mailing today to the FCC.

“On behalf of Equality California I have sent the letter copied below to the FCC withdrawing our previous letter. As it says in the letter it was never our intention to oppose Net Neutrality.”

He also clarified some confusion about the procedures regarding the Executive Director’s ability to make decisions on policies speaking to Equality California’s core mission.

“In fact, there is a policy that allows the Executive Director to make decisions on policies that are core to the mission of Equality California. On issues that are outside of our core mission, such as support for our friends in labor or in the reproductive rights community, there is a policy that requires the board to weigh in if a board meeting is timely, or directs the matter to the Executive Committee. In the event of an urgent policy choice the ED can seek counsel from the Board President.”

The text of the full retraction is available below.

June 22, 2011

The Honorable Julius Genachowski
Chairman, Federal Communications Commission
445 12th Street SW, Room 8-B201
Washington, DC 20554

RE: Withdrawal of letter dated October 12, 2009 – Broadband Industry Practices (WC Docket No. 07-52)

Dear Chairman Genachowski and Commissioners:

On October 12, 2009, Equality California submitted a letter to the Commission urging the preservation of an “open and accessible Internet” and requesting an effort to reach out to the LGBT community. It has come to our attention that the phrase “open and accessible Internet” can be taken to indicate opposition to net neutrality, which was neither our intention nor our organization’s position. We fully support the principles of net neutrality.
Accordingly, we request that you withdraw our letter of October 12, 2009.

Very truly yours,

Jim Carroll
Interim Executive Director
Equality California

See the copy below.

The retraction letter from Equality California to the FCC. (Courtesy Equality California)