Since 1986, the Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council (MMTC) has pursued the mission of promoting equal access and representation in tech, telecom and media. Our goal is to achieve a fully connected, educated, healthy, and empowered society in which all communities thrive. We are able to achieve our mission when we have people like you supporting the work we do. As 2023 comes to a close, I would like to thank you on behalf of MMTC for your support during the past year.

This year we trained the following 15 dynamic law students who attend the American University Washington College of Law, Florida A&M University College of Law, Florida International University College of Law, St. Thomas University Benjamin L. Crump College of Law, and University of Florida Levin College of Law.

• Geraldine Alberto, St. Thomas University College of Law
• Ramon Baez, St. Thomas University College of Law
• Brittany Brown, University of Florida Levin College of Law
• Torryn Carter, University of Florida Levin College of Law
• Alexandra Cohen, American University Washington College of Law 
• Niya Davis, University of Florida Levin (UFL) College of Law
• Pia-Milan Green, University of Florida Levin College of Law
• Daniella Infantino, University of Florida Levin College of Law
• Terran Lane, Florida A&M College of Law
• Scenic Mosley, University of Florida Levin College of Law
• Eric Petterson, University of Florida Levin College of Law
• David Robinson, Florida A&M University College of Law
• Amanda Sifontes, St. Thomas University Benjamin L. Crump College of Law
• Brandon Smith, University of Florida Levin College of Law
• Bianca Thervil, St. Thomas University Benjamin L. Crump College of Law

Our work with Black Churches 4 Digital Equity (BC4DE) Coalition continued to expand in 2023. Currently, BC4DE Coalition is represented by 50 Black churches and Black church nonprofits representing 13 states in the United States and in the District of Columbia (DC). The states include Texas, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Maryland, West Virginia, Illinois, New York, and Virginia. We estimate that collectively our 50 Black Church leaders, through their churches, networks, and work touch at least 1,000,000 people weekly.

This year, BC4DE fellows met in one-on-one meetings with their state broadband officer. Ninety percent of the fellows attended at least one state broadband office listening session. Twenty-five Black church leaders attended the BC4DE Day on the Hill and shared digital equity stories with Congress, the FCC, U.S. Department of Commerce, NTIA, and the White House.

In addition, BC4DE Coalition held 21 ACP National Day of Action events in 15 cities located in 13 states to promote the Affordable Connectivity Program. An estimated 100,000 individuals received emails communications from our churches. A total of 6,950 attended the events. Our churches distributed 3,900 ACP paper applications to attendees. 

MMTC Vice President Dr. Fallon Wilson and several BC4DE fellows were able to share their thought leadership at The Brookings Institution, NDIA 2023 Anchor Net Conference, National Action Networks Black Church Policy Briefing, the United Nations SDG Digital Summit, Pennsylvania State University and the Rockefeller Foundation's BEAD Broadband Navigator's event, and the Metropolitan New York Library Council’s Digital Equity Research Center’s virtual event. The U.S. Department of Education, Religious News Service, The Michigan Chronicle, and other publications featured BC4DE's digital equity work. Go here to learn more.

BC4DE Coalition received the 2023 Webby’s Anthem Silver Award for Responsible Technology National Awareness Campaign and the Balm in Gilead’s 2023 Healthy Churches 2030 Best Practice Health Equity Award.

I invite you to continue your support by participating in our year-end fundraising campaign that is dedicated to expanding our fellowship program, ACP outreach efforts, and tech, media and telecom advocacy.

Our year-end campaign offers you an opportunity to double your impact with an employer match. Having your support along with your employer match will help us continue to build a diverse next-gen pipeline of workers, students, and professionals in the tech, media, and telecom industries in 2024 and beyond.

When you make your year-end donation, check with your employer's Human Resources team to see if they offer a matching gift program. Your Human Resources team will point you in the right direction for making a matching gift.

Also, consider making a donation in honor or memory of a loved one or colleague.

Go here to make your donation.

• MMTC issued a statement in response to NTIA’s Digital Discrimination Comments filed with the FCC.
• MMTC issued a statement congratulating Brendan Carr and Geoffrey Starks on their reconfirmation to serve as FCC Commissioners.
• MMTC and a coalition of civil rights organizations sent a letter to Congress in support of the reconfirmation of FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks.
• MMTC issued a statement in support of NTIA’s programmatic waiver of the BEAD Program’s Letter of Credit.
• MMTC issued a statement supporting the Biden-Harris Administration’s effort to expand access to high-speed internet across America by seeking $6 billion in funding from Congress. 
• MMTC and other organizations sent a letter urging the House of Representatives to oppose bill HR‐4664, which proposes to defund the FCC's Communications Equity and Diversity Council (CEDC).
• MMTC and the U.S. Black Chambers sent a letter to the FCC in support of the proposed rule to incentivize the production of local programming by prioritizing the processing and review 

of applications from broadcast stations that invest in and prioritize local programming.

• On September 12, 2023, MMTC, ALLvanza, LGBT Tech, and OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates held a conversation on online privacy as it pertains to vulnerable communities at the AT&T Forum. Watch the replay video here.
• MMTC Vice President Dr. Fallon Wilson, Rev. Naomi Jordan Cook of ZOE Ministries, and Dean Isaac McCoy of Stillman College represented the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference at the 2023 United Nations’ Sustain Development Summit and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Digital held on September 16-19, 2023, in New York City. They participated in summit meetings about how technology can support the Sustainable Development Goals. Dr. Wilson shared how the Black Churches 4 Digital Equity Coalition’s work can help support the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. 
• MMTC Vice President Dr. Fallon Wilson gave a presentation on Black Churches 4 Digital Equity during the National Action Network’s “The State of the Black Church” Policy Briefing on September 22, 2023, at Mount Carmel Baptist Church in Washington, DC.
• On September 27, 2023, MMTC Vice President Dr. Fallon Wilson joined the HBCU White House Week panel on 1890s Schools– Conduits for Broadband Expansion and Collective Impact Investing for Economic Growth.
• MMTC President Robert Branson joined the Washington Update: What Broadcasters Need to Know panel at the NABOB & Power of Urban Radio Conference on October 5, 2023.
• On October 26, 2023, MMTC Vice President Dr. Fallon Wilson gave a presentation during The Future of AI and AI Literacy virtual discussion for NTIA’s Digital Equity Leaders Network.
• On October 26, 2023, MMTC President and CEO Robert Branson joined the Digital Inclusion Strategies panel at the Hispanic Federation’s Encuentro Digital: Latino Digital Equity Symposium.
• On December 5, 2023, MMTC, ALLvanza, LGBT Tech, and OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates hosted The Vital Role of BEAD Funding panel featuring Hon. Alfonso Lopez, Virginia House of Delegates; B. Lynn Follansbee, USTelecom; Mark Colon, NTIA; Jennifer Bagg, HWG Law; Alexander Minard, NCTA; and Kenley Joseph, MMTC.
• MMTC Vice President Dr. Fallon Wilson joined Conference of National Black Churches (CNBC) Chairman Dr. W. Franklyn Richardson, in the Armchair Conversation titled “The Critical Conversation: Digital Equity” on December 13, 2023, at CNBC’s 2023 Annual National Consultation.

Upcoming Events

1) On January 12, 2024, MMTC Vice President Dr. Fallon Wilson will give a keynote address that will explore the critical nexus of connecting public interest technology to civic engagement at the

Center for Social Impact, Development, and Global Engagement (SIDGE) Symposium. The Northern California Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Foundation hosts the SIDGE Symposium. Get more information here.

2)Join MMTC Vice President Dr. Fallon Wilson on February 14, 2024, at 4 p.m. for the Creating, Sustaining, and Measuring Local Digital Equity Ecosystems panel at NDIA’s Net Inclusion 2024 conference. Register here: https://events.humanitix.com/net-inclusion-2024. Register here.

MMTC News

Congratulations to DuJuan McCoy, Circle City Broadcasting founder and President, on being elected chair of the NAB Leadership Foundation's board of directors. Read more here.

In October, MMTC Media & Telecom Brokers closed on the sale of New Rochelle, New York radio station WVOX-AM to Jeff Chang, owner of Chang Media. The station was donated to MMTC by the family of William O’Shaughnessy, owner of Whitney Global Media. Go here to read the Radio World article, "MMTC Completes Sale of WVOX(AM) in New York." 

Broadcast companies have the opportunity to donate stations to MMTC Media & Telecom Brokers, tax-free; in turn, donated stations are used to train the next generation of minorities, women, and new entrants to become broadcast owners.

As a full-service media brokerage company, MMTC Media & Telecom Brokers, helps owners sell their radio and television properties and assists qualified buyers in identifying broadcast outlets that meet their needs. For more information, contact Suzanne Gougherty at sgougherty@mmtconline.org.