MMTC 2023 Summer/Fall Newsletter l September 19, 2023 | |
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Black Churches 4 Digital Equity (BC4DE)
Coalition Hosts ACP National Day of Action
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On August 19, 2023, the Black Churches 4 Digital Equity Coalition, a nationwide movement of Black church leaders mobilizing to close the digital divide in Black communities, hosted a webinar to kick-off its annual national Affordable Connectivity Program Day of Action in 22 major cities across 18 states.
The webinar featured remarks from U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA); FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks; Alejandro Roark, Bureau Chief, FCC Consumer and Governmental Affairs; Stephen Benjamin, former Mayor of Columbia, Carolina, and Senior Advisor and Director of the Office of Public Engagement, White House; Dr. Jon Gant, Director, NTIA Office of Minority Broadband Initiatives; Rev. Naomi Jordan Cook, Zoe Ministries; Joshua Breitbart, Senior Vice President, ConnectALL, Empire State Development; Pamela Price, Deputy Director, The Balm in Gilead; Pastor Rudy Rasmus, Bread of Life; Bishop Charles H. Ellis, III, Greater Grace Temple; Pastor William Lamar, Metropolitan AME Church; DC Councilman Trayon White, Ward 8; and MMTC President and CEO Robert Branson.
MMTC Vice President Dr. Fallon Wilson served as the webinar MC.
The video was created by Sue A. Webley, BC4DE fellow and founder of Kara Solutions LLC.
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On September 9, 2023, the Black Churches 4 Digital Equity Coalition, a nationwide movement of Black church leaders mobilizing to close the digital divide in Black communities, hosted a webinar to kick-off its annual national Affordable Connectivity Program Day of Action in Nashville, Tennessee, and Jackson, Mississippi.
The webinar featured remarks from Alan Davidson, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and NTIA Administrator; Alejandro Roark, Bureau Chief, FCC Consumer and Governmental Affairs; Ty James, NTIA Federal Program Officer; Kanika Welch, Executive Director, Bean Path (Jackson, MS); Codi Drake, Broadband Grants Coordinator, and Leah Mims, Broadband Grants Coordinator, State Broadband Office, Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development; Pearl Amanfu, Digital Inclusion Officer, Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County (TN); Rev. Byron Moore, Senior Pastor, Greater Bethel AME (Nashville, TN); and U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA).
MMTC Vice President Dr. Fallon Wilson served as the webinar MC.
The video was created by Sue A. Webley, BC4DE fellow and founder of Kara Solutions LLC.
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by Kenley Joseph, MMTC Policy Counsel
“AI is a rare example of an extremely hyped thing that almost everyone still underestimates the impact of – even in the medium-term.” That’s how OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, Co-Founder and CEO Sam Altman described AI just last year. While it is yet to be determined exactly what that underestimated impact will eventually be, today MMTC stands as an artificial intelligence (AI) optimist. We believe that as a society, we will be able to address the various concerns and risks associated with AI. Being on the ground floor of much of the new developments, we should be able to take advantage of the significant benefits it is poised to bring. Through that lens, this series will examine some of these risks and benefits as it covers 1) the anticipated impact on business, as AI advancements make their way into the workforce; 2) the regulations and legislation being considered and used to maintain control over AI; and 3) the role civil rights groups and other Black and minority serving entities, like MMTC, can play in ensuring our communities are able to take advantage of AI, without being taken advantage of by those using AI.
What is AI?
First, let’s start with a working definition of the general term “AI.” In its simplest form, AI is the science of training machines to perform in ways similar to the human brain. It is a vast domain with numerous subfields and applications. John McCarthy, the computer scientist who coined the phrase artificial intelligence, defined it as “the science and engineering of making intelligent machines.” It is an umbrella term that features, as IBM puts it, “leverag[ing] computers and machines to mimic the problem-solving and decision-making capabilities of the human mind.” It is used in everything from your phone’s text messaging app as it provides word suggestions to finish your sentences, to the driver assistant functions in electric vehicles like Teslas and the Ford Mustang Mach-Es.
The most recent breakthroughs in AI have come from the subfield Generative AI (GAI). GAI is a form of AI that uses machine learning (ML) algorithms to generate new content, including, but not limited to, text, images, and music. Examples of GAI models include ChatGPT (text), MidJourney (images), and MusicLM (music). ML uses algorithms that process data to make improvements in performing tasks over time without being directly programmed for step-by-step instructions upfront. The algorithms “learn” by example as they are trained on massive amounts of data, from which the algorithms identify patterns that help improve its analysis and decision making.
What Is All the Fuss About?
The hype around AI kicked off after OpenAI released ChatGPT in November 2022. And maybe for the first time since the launch of the original iPhone, the hype seems to be warranted. The recent evolutions in AI have opened the door to a whole new set of possibilities. In recent months, AI has been used in a number of innovative, interesting, and inventive ways, including aiding in potential hazardous asteroid detection, helping stroke patients communicate for the first time in years, and assisting radiologists more efficiently detect abnormalities in breast cancer scans; just to name a few.
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MMTC, ALLvanza, LGBT Tech & OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates Convene
Online Privacy Conversation
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On September 9, 2023, MMTC, ALLvanza, LGBT Tech, and OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates hosted a conversation on online privacy as it pertains to vulnerable communities at the AT&T Forum in Washington, DC. Speakers included the following indviduals below.
- Daniel Alvarez, Partner, Willkie Farr & Gallagher
- Debra Berlyn, Executive Director, Project to Get Older Adults Online (Project GOAL)
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Peter S. Hyun, Chief of Staff and Deputy Bureau Chief, FCC Enforcement Bureau
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Kamay Lafalaise, Attorney, FTC Division of Privacy and Identity Protection
Dane Snowden, Senior Advisor, Wilkinson Barker Knauer, served as the moderator.
Celeste Carrasco, Director of Public Affairs, AT&T; Rosa Mendoza, President and CEO, ALLvanza; and Carlos Gutierrez, Deputy Director & General Counsel, LGBT Tech, gave opening remarks. Robert Branson, President and CEO, MMTC; and Eric Kim, Policy & Organizing Manager, OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates, delivered closing remarks.
Watch the replay video here.
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Meet MMTC 2023 Fall Fellows | |
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Geraldine Alberto is from New York City and attends St. Thomas University College of Law. Prior to attending law school, Alberto worked as a rights analyst at The Walt Disney Company. Her desire is to help under-represented communities in the media and advocate for diversity and inclusion.
Ramon Baez attends St. Thomas University College of Law, where he is a member of Phi Delta Phi. Prior to his MMTC fellowship, Baez worked as a law clerk for Hightower, Stratton, Novigrod & Kantor and White and Brown.
Torryn Carter is from Louisville, Kentucky, and attends the University of Florida Levin College of Law. Carter serves as the Staff Editor of the Florida Entertainment and Sports Law Review. Upon graduation from law school, he will join DLA Piper as an associate in their Private Equity practice group.
Daniella Infantino is from South Florida and attends the University of Florida Levin College of Law, where she is actively involved in the Latino Law Student Association. Infantino recently worked as a summer associate at Kelley Kronenberg, a multi-practice litigation law firm in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, while simultaneously working as a constitutional law research assistant.
Scenic Mosley attends the University of Florida Levin College of Law, where she is also pursuing a Master of Science in Real Estate. Mosley is the recipient of full tuition HBCU scholarships for both degrees. Prior to serving as an MMTC fellow, she worked as a Racial Justice Research Assistant for Professor Berta Hernandez-Truyol at the University of Florida Levin College of Law, a fellow at the John Paul Stevens Foundation, an intern at Disability Rights Texas and Aid to Victims of Domestic Violence, and a law clerk at Bosshardt Law/Title.
David Robinson is from Orlando, Florida, and attends Florida A&M University College of Law. Robinson served as a legal intern for the City of Houston, Texas. He is interested in civil rights and government law and excited to work to assist local communities.
Amanda Sifontes attends St. Thomas University Benjamin L. Crump College of Law. Sifontes is is a member of Phi Delta Phi Honor Society. After law school, she plans to focus on equal access in the healthcare field including access to healthcare tech space, lack of diversity at the executive ranks, and drug pricing disparity and the missing patient voice.
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MMTC Law and Policy Initiatives | |
Learn About MMTC's Recent Law and Policy Efforts | |
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Read the letter MMTC and other organizations sent urging Congress to extend the Affordable Connectivity Program here.
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Go here to read MMTC's press statement congratulating Anna Gomez on being confirmed as FCC Commissioner by Senate.
- On July 16, 2023, MMTC Vice President Dr. Fallon Wilson discussed Black Churches for Digital Equity's work during the Entrepreneurial Leadership session at the UNCF UNITE 2023 Summit.
- On July 17, 2023, MMTC President Robert Branson participated in the Ensuring Diversity and Equity in Broadband Deployment and Adoption panel at the NARUC Summer Policy Institute.
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On July 25, 2023, MMTC held its annual Former FCC Chairs' Symposium that featured opening remarks from Congressman Steven Horsford (D-NV), Chair of Congressional Black Caucus. Speakers included former FCC Chairs Richard Wiley and Mignon Clyburn; and former FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein. They discussed universal broadband, 6G networks, artificial intelligence, Section 230, M&A policy, and minority media and telecom ownership. Former FCC Commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate moderated the panel discussion. MMTC President and CEO Robert Branson served as the MC. Howard Woolley, President of the Wolley Group, gave closing remarks. Kara Solutions hosted the Symposium. Watch the video here.
- MMTC Vice President Dr. Fallon Wilson spoke at the 2023 Blacks in Tech Conference on September 6, 2023.
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MMTC President and CEO Robert Branson joined the Board of Directors of the Arthur C. Clarke Foundation. The Arthur C. Clarke Foundation promotes the use of space and telecommunications technology for the benefit of humankind.
MMTC Vice President Dr. Fallon Wilson was named to the Advisory Board of the Digital Equity Research Center, an applied research center that assumes digital inequality research must include analyses of economic injustice, systemic racism, and other structural inequalities in order to understand and address the root causes of the digital divide.
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MMTC Congratulates Former FCC Chair Richard "Dick" Wiley
Congratulations former FCC Chair Richard "Dick" Wiley, s founding partner and Chairman Emeritus of Wiley Rein LLP, on being selected for The National Law Journal’s 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award. Read more here.
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- MMTC Vice President Dr. Fallon Wilson will give 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. The policy briefing will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Mount Carmel Baptist Church, 901 3rd Street, NW, Washington, DC.
- Join MMTC Vice President Dr. Fallon Wilson for the DC Digital Equity panel discussion at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc.’s Annual Legislative Conference on September 22, 2023, from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
- On September 27, 2023, from 10:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m., MMTC Vice President Dr. Fallon Wilson will join the HBCU White House Week panel on 1890s Schools – Conduits for Broadband Expansion and Collective Impact Investing for Economic Growth.
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MMTC Media & Telecom Brokers News | |
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In August, MMTC Broadcasting and Brokerage closed on the sale of Morristown, Arizona (Phoenix market) radio station KRPH-FM to Jeff Chang, owner of Chang Media. The station was donated to MMTC by Junan Carlos Rodriguez, owner of Deportes y Música Comunicaciones.
Regarding the recent sale, Suzanne Gougherty, President of MMTC Broadcasting and Brokerage and Director of MMTC Broadcasting LLC, stated, “We are incredibly proud of the donation of KRPH-FM it is a significant addition to the MMTC roster of major market donations. We now have Phoenix, Detroit, and Minneapolis/St. Paul, all in the top 15 radio markets.”
Jeff Chang, owner of Chang Media, stated, "I'm thrilled to add KRPH-FM to our growing portfolio of radio and television properties. We're excited with the privilege of serving the suburbs of Phoenix and extended areas in Arizona. Many thanks to MMTC for allowing this opportunity to become realized."
Robert Branson, MMTC President and CEO, made the following statement:
“We are true to our cause of minority ownership and in this instance, it is twofold win; a minority owner donated his radio station to MMTC, and we transferred it to another minority owner."
Read the press statement here.
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Learn About Recent Initiatives by Charter, Comcast,
NCTA - The Internet & Television Association, T-Mobile & Verizon
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Go here to find out how Charter Communications is supporting communities with its Spectrum Center Community Assist program.
Learn how Comcast is working to equip more students and families with digital resources, including participating in the Affordable Connectivity Program. Read more here.
Read NCTA - The Internet & Television Association's blog post here to learn how cable ISPs are preparing to deliver superfast internet speeds in communities across the Mid-Atlantic
Click here to find out how T-Mobile's Project 10Million helps children overcome the digital divide.
Verizon Innovative Learning, a free education portal that makes innovative learning tools available to all K-12 educators nationwide, has expanded its new immersive learning content across. It now provides over 3.5 million students nationwide with digital skills training. Read more here.
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About MMTC
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 (TMT) industries, and closing the digital divide on behalf of its members and constituents, including owners of radio and television broadcast stations, programmers, prospective station owners, and others involved in the TMT industries.
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
MMTC Media & Telecom Brokers was founded in 1997 by communications lawyer David Honig. He is also one of the co-founders of our parent organization, the Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council (MMTC).
MMTC Brokers is the nation's only minority owned brokerage firm. Our goal is to open up opportunity for media ownership for all minorities. We have been working in the media brokerage space for more than 23 years and are involved in all aspects of radio, television, towers & telecom. We are widely recognized for our work on behalf of minorities and women to gain ownership. Our commitment to this cause includes every aspect of a transaction, including:
- Business planning
- Coaching new entrants
- Market research
- Assisting with due diligence
- Best practices for negotiation
We pride ourselves as being the conduit that connects the buyer and the seller. Our role is to bring two parties together and assist each of them to view a potential transaction from a wider perspective. Our goal is to make is sure each party will come to terms to paper a deal and see it through to a successful closing.
For more information, contact Suzanne Gougherty at sgougherty@mmtconline.org.
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