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Invest in MMTC and Help Us Train the Next Generation
Leaders, Workers, and Entrepreneurs!
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MMTC has moved! Here's our new contact information.
1250 Connecticut Avenue, NW, 7th Floor
Washington, DC 20036
202.261.6543
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What's in This Newsletter
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In this newsletter, we share with you MMTC's engagement to help close the digital divide, connect diverse communities to opportunity, and ensure diverse leadership, ownership, and workforce in technology and communications:
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MMTC Law and Policy Initiatives
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 On July 15, 2020, MMTC and 25 organizations sent a letter to to Congress to express our support for congressional measures to provide relief for the millions of households that are struggling to get and stay connected during the COVID-19 pandemic. The letter:
- Asks Congress to appropriate funding in the HEROES Act toward a broadband stimulus voucher program that would provide support for essential communications connectivity for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic through monthly vouchers recipients can use to pay for VoIP, mobile, cable, and broadband services.
- Suggests that the vouchers be distributed through the same disbursement mechanism implemented in the CARES Act, but with lower income caps so those most in need receive the funds.
- Advocates for the inclusion of undocumented or mixed-status families by allowing taxpayers who file with ITIN numbers rather than SSNs to be eligible.
- Suggests the program be accompanied by a public awareness campaign to inform consumers of support available to them through this program and others such as the Lifeline program.
- Suggested path will complement the existing Lifeline program and help those who need it most.
Read the full letter here. |
 A Civil Rights Broadband Coalition of 16 national organizations including MMTC, sent a letter to House and Senate majority and minority leaders urging Congress to include an Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) to help close the digital divide during the pandemic by providing low-income Americans with a temporary benefit for residential broadband service.
The accompanying issue brief, prepared by the Hispanic Technology and Telecommunications Partnership (HTTP), outlines the proposed program:
- The EBB is a short term measure for eligible American households that would extend a temporary subsidy, between $20-$50 per month, to purchase or offset the cost of existing any broadband services from a participating provider.
- Broadband providers would apply the benefit as a discount to any plan that meets or exceeds minimum service requirements as defined by Congress or the FCC.
- Congress should keep familiar eligibility standards, such as SNAP, Medicaid, and SSI, as seen in other programs; accept ISPs' existing low-income program eligibility criteria; permit providers to continue to rely on the FCC's National Verifier database to verify eligibility; and consider adopting other consumer eligibility standards such as enrollment of a child in the school lunch program or unemployment.
The coalition believes this smart investment will help address many urgent COVID-related needs for Americans experiencing economic hardship and many communities of color who find themselves on the wrong side of the digital divide.
Read HTTP's blog post here.
Read the full letter here.
Read the full issue brief here. |
As the economic crisis brought on by the coronavirus pandemic continues throughout the United States, a coalition of 25 organizations including the NAACP, the National Consumer Law Center and the Communications Workers of America is urging the Federal Communications Commission to make a number of changes to the Lifeline voice and broadband subsidy program to help low-income Americans pay their phone and internet bills.
Among its requests, the coalition is calling on the FCC in a letter filed late Sunday night to extend certain rule waivers through the end of the year, making it harder for customers to be kicked out of the program; restore the monthly subsidy for voice call services to $9.25 from its current $7.25 payment; and freeze the scheduled increase in the minimum service standard that Lifeline providers must offer to customers pending further review of the program overall.
"To slow the spread of COVID-19, low-income households need affordable telephone and Internet access to prevent person-to-person transmission," the group wrote in the letter, provided exclusively to Morning Consult. "Lifeline is particularly critical for low-income consumer access to health care, employment, education, benefits and emergency services and more."
Read the full letter here.
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 The Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) Wireline Competition Bureau released an Order streamlining the Lifeline program application and enrollment process for rural Tribal consumers until August 31, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The FCC defines "rural" as less than 25,000 residents. While MMTC appreciates this effort, much more needs to be done to ensure that all struggling households are connected to vital communications services during these difficult times.
Read the full press statement here. |
MMTC Supports Congressman G. K. Butterfield's 'Expanding Opportunities for Broadband Deployment Act' to Expand Access to Universal Service Fund Subsidies
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 On June 11, 2020, Congressman G. K. Butterfield released H.R. 7160 "to amend the Communications Act of 1934 to promote broadband deployment by increasing participation in broadband support programs."
MMTC strongly supports this legislation, also known as the "Expanding Opportunities for Broadband Deployment Act," which will expand access to Universal Service Fund (USF) subsidies, providing much-needed support to the communities that rely on USF programs such as Lifeline and E-Rate.
Read MMTC's full press statement here. |
MMTC and 27 Organizations File Comments
in Response to FCC Establishing
5G Fund for Rural America
by MMTC Fellow Nick Owen
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MMTC recently submitted Comments regarding the FCC's plans for expanding broadband coverage in rural America. The Commission had asked whether work should begin immediately in the places previously identified as most in need of broadband service or should be delayed until new coverage data has been collected. Essentially, the Commission asked whether speed or accuracy should be most valued. MMTC's response was simple: Why not both?
The best path forward would be a hybrid of the two approaches. In short, funds could be dispersed in two stages. In the first stage, work would begin immediately in the places most desperately in need. The second stage would follow the completion of data collection, allowing the Commission to fill in the remaining gaps as efficiently as possible. MMTC also urged the Commission to rethink its approach to determining which communities are most in need. The Commission previously suggested it may use population density as the governing metric for prioritizing 5G buildout, but MMTC believes the communities neglected in the past should be prioritized. Rural Hispanic communities, rural African American communities, and Native American tribal lands should be given the immediate attention they need. Additionally, MMTC's Comments addressed the rules the Commission should apply to the private companies that would perform the services required to establish 5G coverage. MMTC provided two suggestions. First, the Commission should extend the Cable Procurement Rule to broadcasting. The Cable Procurement Rule requires that cable companies announce any major contracts up for bid. Previously, business owners never had the chance to learn of such contracts if they were not part of the "old boys' club." The Cable Procurement Rule is the rare example of a civil rights advancement without major opposition, benefiting both cable companies and minority business owners. Second, the Commission should welcome Designated Entity ("DE") participation in future 5G reverse auctions. The DE program provides a special designation for certain businesses, including those owned by women and minorities, that allows them to bid more competitively. In the past, major corporations have tried to abuse these rules, making some people question whether the rules should exist in the first place. MMTC, however, feels that this illustrates a need to clarify the rules, not repeal them. The Commission should embrace the chance to eliminate any remaining ambiguities, thus ensuring that the DE program can only benefit those businesses it was intended to aid. Read the Comments online here. About the Author
Nick Owen is a rising third-year student at the University of Florida Levin College of Law. Owen was awarded the Governor's Scholarship and is a member of the Journal of Technology Law and Policy.
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MMTC Events and Presentations
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MMTC and Charter Host 'Retooling Your Career for a COVID and Virtual World' Webinar
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On July 28, 2020, MMTC hosted the "Retooling Your Career for a COVID & Virtual World" webinar, sponsored by Charter Communications. Featuring the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the National Urban League (NUL), and Brazen, the webinar provided resources and tips on how to navigate the online job world and rebuild your career in these new and challenging times, including:
- Resources and actionable tips to secure a job in the virtual world
- A behind the scenes view of online career fairs - so you know what to expect and how to prepare
- Training for the jobs of the future: Registered Apprenticeship "earn while you learn" pathways to learn new trades while getting paid
- Job and workforce development resources from MMTC, NUL, and LULAC
- Additional information about current open positions at Charter (known through its Spectrum brand)
- View the event summary and resources here.
- Learn more about Department of Labor Registered Apprenticeships here.
- Learn more about Charter's Broadband Field Technician Registered Apprenticeship program opportunities here. (Fall programs starting soon!)
- Read the Wakelet blog here.
Watch the full webinar online here.
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MMTC, ALLvanza, and OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates Host Online Discussion on
'Women Moving Our Country Forward'
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On July 14, 2020, MMTC, ALLvanza, and OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates hosted the "Women Moving Our Country Forward" virtual panel in partnership with NCTA - The Internet and Television Association and Charter Communications.
Congresswoman Yvette Clarke delivered opening remarks, and MMTC President and CEO Maurita Coley moderated the panel discussion, where female trailblazers and innovators discussed the state of equality in our country, challenges women face, what it takes to lead in these challenging times, and what our future looks like as technology and the future of work continue to evolve. Speakers also discussed solutions to these challenges that can be applied through the lens of policy, technology, business ownership, and social justice, particularly as the challenges minority women face have been further exacerbated by the nation's recent crises.
Speakers included: Melissa Bradley, 1863 Ventures; Sibyl Edwards, Black Female Founders; Ximena Hartsock, Phone2Action; Raquel Tamez, Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers; and Celine Tien, Flowly.
Watch the Facebook Live video recording here.
Read the Wakelet blog here.
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MMTC CEO Maurita Coley Moderates LULAC's Virtual Summit Panel on and Latinos and Digital Literacy
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 On August 14th, MMTC President and CEO Maurita Coley moderated a panel discussion at LULAC's Virtual Summit on "Latinos and Digital Literacy in the Age of Technology and COVID-19" on August 14, 2020.
The panel discussed the unique barriers black and brown communities face in broadband adoption, and they often lack the digital literacy skills required to protect themselves from a broad range of harms including discrimination in employment, data breaches, and loss of control over sensitive personal information. Panelists addressed the need for more broadband access and efforts to close the digital literacy gap among Latinos.
FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks and Comcast Executive Director for External Affairs Jackie Puente delivered opening remarks, and panelists included Laura Berrocal, Vice President of Policy and External Affairs at Charter Communications; Amanda Renteria, Chief Executive Officer, Code for America; Alejandro Roark, Executive Director of Hispanic Technology & Telecommunications Partnership / HTTP; and Daiquiri Ryan, Esq., Strategic Legal Advisor and Policy Counsel, National Hispanic Media Coalition.
Watch the Facebook Live video recording here (start at the 2:02:40 mark). |
MMTC's David Honig and Deborah Lathen
Train Law Students on FCC History, Discrimination, and Digital Divide During FCBA Summer Seminar Series
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 David Honig, MMTC President Emeritus and Senior Advisor, and Deborah Lathen, MMTC Board Member and CEO of Lathen Consulting, LLC, shared their thought leadership on nondiscriminatory employment policies and the digital divide with college and law students during the Federal Communications Bar Association's Summer Series on June 22, 2020.
Honig's presentation focused on the FCC's requirement that licensees adopt nondiscriminatory employment policies. His presentation provided a historical outline of the FCC's role as the first federal agency that required licensees to adopt nondiscriminatory employment policies in the 1960s. Over the span of three generations, the FCC suppressed minority broadcast ownership by refusing to grant broadcast licenses to qualified minority applicants, provided preferential treatment to predominately white state universities, granted and renewed licenses for known segregationists, used financial requirements to act as barriers to minorities obtaining licenses, ignored court orders that required the FCC consider minority ownership impact in technical and allocation decisions, and failed to enforce its own equal employment opportunity rule. In response to the harm sustained by minorities, the FCC should convene a fact-finding hearing under Section 403, and rule on all pending proposals related to equal employment, ownership, and procurement prior to 2021.
Lathen's presentation focused on the digital divide, which frustrates the ability of those who do not have access to technology to complete everyday tasks. As of 2017, approximately 21.3 million Americans lacked broadband internet services (25 Mbps/3 Mbps). Lathen highlighted the discrepancies between urban areas versus rural and tribal areas, while also accounting for significantly low levels of income in rural and tribal areas. Overall, the presentation provided a clear illustration that rural and tribal areas lack equal deployment of broadband services when compared to their urban counterparts. More importantly, the lack of deployment in these areas precipitated and exacerbated deficiencies in employment, education, and healthcare - largely affecting minority communities.
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MMTC CEO Maurita Coley Connects Colleges with
Low-Cost Broadband Initiatives at 'An HBCU
Blueprint for the Digital Future' Conference
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On June 10, 2020, MMTC President and CEO Maurita Coley spoke on the "Building Your Broadband Foundation for Online Learning" panel at the "HBCU Blueprint for the Digital Future" Conference that was facilitated by North Carolina Central University and NTIA's Minority Broadband Initiative (MBI). Coley's presentation focused on low-cost broadband access programs offered by internet service providers. Her co-panelists included James Neal, U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services, and Dr. Alisa Valentin, FCC. Maureen Lewis, NTIA, moderated the discussion.
Go here to watch the video recording of the panel discussion here (Coley's remarks start at the 3:11:57 mark).
Go here to read NTIA's blog post about how the MBI is engaging HBCU students and leadership on internet connectivity challenges.
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MMTC's Marcella Gadson Provides School Boards with Connectivity Options at CLSBA Panel on 'Closing the Digital Divide: A District, County, and Federal Perspective'
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 On June 11, 2020, MMTC Director of Communications and Policy Research Marcella Gadson participated in California Latino School Boards Association's (CLSBA) Cafe Con CLSBA discussion on "Closing the Digital Divide: A District, County, and Federal Perspective."
Gadson's presentation discussed how school board members can take action on the federal level, as well as low-cost programs, initiatives, and public-private partnerships school boards can use to connect their districts, schools, and students with broadband.
Other panelists included Santa Clara County Superintendant of Schools Dr. Mary Ann Dewan, who discussed how to collaborate with school board members, city councils, and local boards of advisors to address the digital equity gaps during the COVID-19 pandemic; and Digital Equity Coalition Co-Founder Maimona Afzal Berta, who discussed approaches to closing the digital divide from the classroom level.
Watch the event recording online here. |
Hogan Lovells Names MMTC Board Secretary
Ari Fitzgerald as Head of Communications,
Internet, and Media Practice
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 Congratulations Ari Fitzgerald on being named as the leader of the Hogan Lovells' Communications, Internet, and Media practice. In his new role, Fitzgerald provides strategic, legal, and policy advice on a wide range of communications and spectrum policy issues to some of the world's largest and most dynamic communications network operators and equipment manufacturers, as well as industry trade associations and investors. He enjoys helping automobile manufacturers and suppliers, medical device manufacturers, and other technology companies bring new and innovative communications-related products and services to market.
Prior to joining Hogan Lovells as a partner in 2001, he served as a legal adviser to former FCC Chairman Bill Kennard, as well as Deputy Chief of the FCC's International Bureau. He also worked as a legal adviser in the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Legal Counsel, where he advised the White House, executive branch agencies, and the U.S. attorney general on constitutional and federal statutory interpretation matters. Currently, he serves as secretary of the MMTC Board of Directors. |
MMTC Media & Telecom Brokers News
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Radio World Interviews Kongsue Xiong,
Founder of Asian American Broadcasting, and Daniela Zamora, Zamora Entertainment
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Read the Radio World interview "Community Broadcaster Confronts Coronavirus" here to learn how Asian American Broadcasting founder Kongsue Xiong, a Laotian immigrant, and an American citizen, is navigating his broadcasting business during the COVID-19 pandemic in St. Paul, Minnesota. Asian American Broadcasting's format is AM 690 which broadcasts news, talk, and entertainment to the Hmong American community seven days a week.
Read the Radio World interview "Keeping Afloat in the Age of the Coronavirus" here to read the Radio World interview, to find out how Daniela Zamora, station vice president and general manager of Zamora family-owned WDTW (AM) in Detroit, Michigan, is approaching the coronavirus, especially in providing timely and useful information to its Spanish-speaking listeners along with keeping the station afloat financially.
About the Author
Suzanne Gougherty serves as the Director at MMTC Broadcasting, LLC and MMTC Media & Telecom Brokers.
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Kim Keenan, General Counsel and Executive Vice President of Marketing/Research at Odyssey Media, was named to the Washington Bar Association's Hall of Fame on June 22, 2020. Read more here (go to page 51). Prior to joining Odyssey Media, Keenan served as the President and CEO of MMTC.
Dr. Nicol Turner-Lee was recently promoted to Director of the Brookings Institution's Center for Technology Innovation. Read more here. Prior to joining Brookings, Dr. Turner-Lee served as the Vice President and Chief Research & Policy Officer of MMTC.
Laura Berrocal was promoted to Vice President, Policy and External Affairs at Charter Communications. Berrocal serves as a member of MMTC's Board of Advisors.
Charlyn Stanberry, the Chief of Staff for U.S. Congresswoman Yvette Clarke (D-NY), received the Washington Bar Association's Lawyer of the Year Award on June 22, 2020. Previously, Stanberry served as the MMTC 2014 Cathy Hughes fellow and staff counsel.
Joseph Miller, President and Founder of North Meadows Strategies LLC, was appointed as a Commissioner of the Virginia Minority Business Commission at the Virginia House of Delegates. Miller is also the Founder and President of the Washington Center for Technology Policy Inclusion (WashingTECH). He served as an MMTC Legal Counsel and policy fellow.
Julian Harrison, a former MMTC 2016 Earle K. Moore fellow, accepted a position as an Ad Policy Specialist at TikTok. In his new role, Harrison oversees high-risk content, Fin-Tech, and Intellectual property issues through the advertising lens. Prior to joining TikTok, he served as the Tech Fellow at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc., and as an associate for
Kaufman Dolowich & Voluck, LLP.
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Calling All MMTC Alumni and Fellows!
We Need Your Help in 2020!
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Please share your updated contact information and career news with Dorrissa Griffin, MMTC Chief of Staff, at dgriffin@mmtconline.org.
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Charter Communications Expands Latino Programming with Five New Networks
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Charter Communications is expanding its programming with five new Latino-targeted TV networks that offer family-friendly, lifestyle, home and garden, and educational programming. The new channels will be available at no additional cost to subscribers of Spectrum's Mi Plan Latino and Latino View TV packages. Read more here.
Photo Credit: Charter Communications
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Comcast's NBC News Launches 'Plan Your Vote' - An Interactive, State-by-State Guide to Mail-In and Early In-Person Voting
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As one of the most consequential elections in American history intersects with the COVID-19 pandemic, how you vote is as important as who you're voting for, and voters need to know that casting a ballot this year requires a plan. With less than 80 days to go until Election Day, NBC News has launched Plan Your Vote, an interactive tool, which encourages Americans to plan out when and how they will vote this year.
Available at NBCNews.com/PlanYourVote, this state-by-state guide offers visitors a comprehensive place to view all the information they'll need to know when planning their vote for the 2020 elections, while also taking into account each state's coronavirus pandemic restrictions.
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Download, Share, and Support MMTC's
Jumpstart Tech Career and Business Guides
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MMTC created the Jumpstart Your Tech Career Guide and Jumpstart Your Tech Business Guide to support those who are looking to start or strengthen their careers and businesses in the tech industry. The MMTC Jumpstart Your Tech Career Guide provides a four-step process along with resources to help you develop and execute your tech job search strategy. The four steps include:
- Step 1: Do relevant work.
- Step 2: Listen to the buzz.
- Step 3: Start applying.
- Step 4: Identify conferences and tech weeks to attend for training, resources, information sharing, and networking.
Whether you're a student, a recent graduate, or a mid-level or seasoned professional exploring tech entrepreneurship, the MMTC Jumpstart Your Tech Business Guide provides a five-step process along with resources to help you develop and execute a strategy to launch your business. The five steps include:
- Step 1: Launch Your Tech Business
- Step 2: Fund Your Tech Business
- Step 3: Target Funders Who Support Diversity
- Step 4: Partner with Corporate Supplier Diversity Programs
- Step 5: Identify Peer Groups, Continuing Education Opportunities, Conferences and Events
Download the FREE guides and share then with your network.
- Go here to get a copy of the MMTC Jumpstart Your Tech Career Guide
- Go here to get a copy of the MMTC Jumpstart Your Tech Business Guide
Help MMTC expand the guides with a donation. Go here to donate.
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Have you seen MMTC TV yet? Go here to watch videos of MMTC's Broadband and Social Justice Summits and Access to Capital and Telecom Policy Conferences.
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MMTC's June and July Social Media
Learn more about MMTC's work by visiting our Wakelet Blog:
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Help Expand MMTC's Work in Tech, Media & Telecom!
With our nonpartisan values of diversity and inclusion, MMTC continues to pursue our work with great determination notwithstanding our modest resources. We offer our sincere appreciation for support in helping us deliver our world-class advocacy, convenings, and policy leadership in industries regulated by the Federal Communications Commission.
TO SUPPORT MMTC, YOU CAN DONATE IN TWO WAYS:
- Fellowship: Help the next generation of media and telecom lawyers and policy professionals to advocate on behalf of our nation's multicultural, women, and underserved communities by investing in the new Henry M. Rivera Fellowship. Other fellowships you are invited to support are the Cathy Hughes and Earle K. Moore fellowships.
- General: Make a donation to general support.
MMTC is recognized by the IRS under 26 U.S.C. ยง501(c)(3). All contributions are tax-deductible.
Your support makes it possible for MMTC to serve as an advocate for diversity, inclusion and equal opportunity in the nation's most important industries. Thank You!
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The Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council (MMTC) is a non-partisan, national nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and preserving equal opportunity in the tech, media, and telecom industries, and closing the digital divide. MMTC is generally recognized as the nation's leading advocate for multicultural advancement in communications. We strongly believe that the breathtaking changes in communications technology and the new global forms of media partnerships must enhance diversity in the 21st century.
About MMTC Media & Telecom Brokers
As the nation's only nonprofit media and telecom brokerage, we invest time and effort in training a new generation of media and telecom entrepreneurs. Our brokerage services have expanded to include consulting. So please think of us if you have a client or a friend looking to enter the broadcast business that needs a seasoned brokerage firm. We are dedicated to our cause of promoting diverse broadcast ownership in media, telecom, and tech.
Want to learn more about MMTC Media & Telecom Brokers? Contact Suzanne Gougherty at sgougherty@mmtconline.org or David Honig at dhonig@mmtconline.org.
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