WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council (MMTC) is committed to overing “its strong support” for legislation in the House of Representatives that would establish a “Communications Equity and Diversity Council” — something the advocacy group says would ground its mandate in statute “rather than in the discretionary charter renewal authority of any individual Federal Communications Commission Chairman.”
That would be Brendan Carr, who upon becoming the head of the FCC used Trump Administration-fueled anti-Diversity, Equity and Inclusion campaigning to disband the Commission-created CEDC.
Advocating for the CEDC Act is Rep. Rob Menendez (R-N.J.), who is not to be confused with former New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez.
In expressing its support of the bill, MMTC noted that it had been a member of the CEDC since its founding, contributing directly to working groups on media ownership diversity, broadband access and digital inclusion, and access to capital for small and minority-owned businesses.
“The discontinuation of the CEDC severed a direct channel through which the concerns of multicultural communities shaped FCC policy deliberations, at precisely the moment when broadband access, ownership diversity, and digital equity demand sustained federal attention,” the MMTC said, noting that record of the CEDC “is one of substantive, bipartisan policy work. Over its tenure, the Council delivered recommendations on preventing digital discrimination, reducing barriers to broadband deployment in underserved communities, accelerating entry of minority-owned businesses into the communications industries, and promoting digital workforce upskilling — work that reflected collaboration among telecommunications leaders, consumer advocates, civil rights organizations, and local government officials.”
MMTC President/CEO Robert Branson added, “I along with my predecessors have worked with government, industry, and academic professionals in helping to shape key policy concerns for the community. We worked tirelessly together, without any compensation, as our goal was to improve the telecom, broadcast, cable, and tech sectors to ensure everyone could participate and no one would be left behind.”
