Multicultural Media Telecom and Internet Council

This paper presents a history of the digital divide, major steps in closing it, and how we can continue expanding access to transform lives for communities of color. To close the digital divide, policymakers should focus on: 1) further expanding access, 2) increasing adoption, and 3) encouraging skill development.

The Multicultural Cultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council (MMTC)’s Board of Directors has named Maurita Coley Flippin President and CEO of the organization. Coley previously has served as Acting President and CEO of MMTC, as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, and as Member of the MMTC Board of Directors. A former network executive, law partner, and nonprofit executive, she brings over 30 years of experience in law, business, and nonprofit management to the organization.

[Commentary] As we remember the 50th Anniversary of the silencing of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s dream; as we March for Our Lives to end the senseless violence that continues to silence the dreams of so many; and as we continue to fight for justice and equality in social, economic, and digital treatment; we urge the Federal Communications Commission to take its rightful place in history by mirroring Dr. King’s legacy of compassion, equality, and opportunity. A good start would be for the FCC to act on several imperatives that will help to close the digital divide:

The Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council (MMTC) announced that Kim Keenan has resigned from her post as President and CEO. Maurita Coley Flippin, who has served for five years with MMTC as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, will serve as Interim President and CEO. Keenan took the helm of the organization from co-founder David Honig in 2014, and her legacy focused on “bringing policy to the people,” reaching out to communities to make complex and esoteric telecom policies relatable, and to bridge the digital divide.

The Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council (MMTC) is pleased to announce that Dr Rikin Thakker has joined MMTC as Vice President of Telecommunications and Spectrum Policy. Dr Thakker brings to the MMTC team a rich background from work in academia, the private sector, and as an industry leader. In his new role with MMTC, Dr Thakker will use his extensive technical knowledge and expertise to inform MMTC’s policy positions and the impact of telecom policy on minorities and women, and specifically the impact on diverse entrepreneurs and the underserved who are currently facing the digital divide. In addition, Dr. Thakker will serve as the lead content developer for MMTC’s joint Department of Labor contract with the National Urban League (NUL) and the Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA). Under the contract, the NUL/MMTC/WIA consortium will connect unemployed and underemployed minorities, primarily African Americans, with Registered Apprenticeships in telecommunications infrastructure within seven US regions.

In addition to his work at MMTC, Dr. Thakker is co-founder and senior advisor at RF Academics, where he has designed, managed, and developed content on several telecommunications areas. He is also a faculty member for the Master’s Program in Telecommunication at the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department of University of Maryland, and is an adjunct professor for Engineering Management and Systems Engineering department of George Washington University.

This White Paper outlines four incentives to cultivate minority ownership of commercial wireless spectrum. The Multicultural Media Telecom and Internet Council (MMTC) calls for both Congress and the Federal Communications Commission to develop market-based incentives that advance competition and innovation, while increasing minority and women entrepreneurship in the wireless communications space, especially in spectrum licenses and the operations of assets.

1. Restore and refine the Tax Certificate Policy for immediate application to secondary market transactions, enabling sellers to defer payment of the capital gains taxes on the sale upon reinvestment in comparable property. (This initiative requires legislation.)
2. Consider voluntary secondary market transactions with minority business enterprises (“MBEs”) and women-owned business enterprises (“WBEs”), collectively MWBEs, as factors in determining whether to report to Congress that the mobile wireless marketplace is competitive. This initiative can be adopted by the FCC under its existing statutory authority.
3. Incorporate voluntary secondary market transactions with MWBEs as part of mergers and acquisitions regulatory review, including whether to give carrier rule waivers relating to ownership. (This initiative can be adopted by the FCC under its existing statutory authority.)
4. Award carriers a bidding credit when, or after, they engage in voluntary secondary market transactions with MWBEs in wireless auctions. (This initiative can be adopted by the FCC under its existing statutory authority.)