The Media and Technology Institute released a study entitled National Minority Broadband Adoption: Comparative Trends in Adoption, Acceptance, and Use at an event held on February 25, 2010. Watch the video at UStream (provided by Next Gen Web).

The Media and Technology Institute held a Technology Policy Forum entitled Open Internet, Innovation, and Economic Development on March 3, 2010. FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski and Commissioners Mignon Clyburn, Meredith Baker, and Michael Copps offered keynote remarks.

The Media and Technology Institute released a research publication entitled National Minority Broadband Adoption: Comparative Trends in Adoption, Acceptance, and Use at an event held on February 25, 2010.

The Media and Technology Institute hosted FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski and Commissioner Michael Copps at a luncheon held on September 22, 2009. The FCC's National Broadband Plan was discussed and MTI's first report, Broadband Imperatives for African Americans, was released at this event.

FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn made her first policy speech as a commissioner at a Joint Center Media and Technology Institute event on September 21, 2009. She called for the National Broadband Plan to address existing gaps in broadband adoption, as well as broadband access.

Joint Center Releases Policy Recommendations Aimed at Increasing Digital Adoption in Communities of Color

WASHINGTON – The National Broadband Plan now under development at the Federal Communications Commission represents an enormous opportunity to help improve conditions in long neglected communities, the Chairman of the FCC said in remarks to an event hosted yesterday by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, a Washington research and policy institution that focuses on the concerns of African Americans and other people of color.

Chairman Julius Genachowski was joined at the event by FCC Commissioner Michael Copps, who had served as acting chairman in the months prior to Genachowski’s confirmation by the U.S. Senate in June, and who himself urged an audience comprised of black elected officials and policy professionals to continue to focus on access to broadband as a key element in bringing greater educational and economic opportunity to their constituents. Both Chairman Genachowski and Commissioner Copps also stressed the importance of including a diverse range of voices to ensure that the National Broadband Plan is inclusive and its recommendations can be easily implemented in any community.

The FCC has been directed by Congress to deliver by next February a plan for bringing broadband to all Americans, and the Commission is now seeking and evaluating public comment on the initiative. At yesterday’s event, Congressman G.K. Butterfield (D-NC), a member of the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee, emphasized the importance of reaching all populations as the nation expands broadband availability.

At a previous Joint Center forum on Monday, new FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn made her first policy speech as a commissioner, in which she called for the National Broadband Plan to address existing gaps in broadband adoption as well as access.

Yesterday’s event, organized by the Joint Center Media and Technology Institute, also included the release of a report, Broadband Imperatives for African Americans: Policy Recommendations to Increase Digital Adoption for Minorities and their Communities, which was produced through a collaboration between the Joint Center and leading organizations representing black elected officials and the state and local levels. The report stresses the importance of broadband access to achievement and success, and urges policymakers to consider a number of initiatives aimed at increasing broadband adoption in minority communities, including mandating that government assisted housing have a broadband connection, encouraging young people in these communities to play a major role in efforts to increase broadband adoption, and working to ensure that the expansion of broadband in low-income areas results in enhanced access to education, health care and employment opportunities.

“The Broadband Imperatives report is the first time that African American elected officials have issued a formal statement to the FCC in this area,” said Ralph B. Everett, President and CEO of the Joint Center. “As the nation strives for universal access to high-speed networks, these elected and appointed officials can and will play a vitally important role in ensuring that the great promise of broadband really does deliver progress and opportunity in struggling communities.”

The Broadband Imperatives report, was completed in collaboration with the following national organizations that represent African American elected officials: National Black Caucus of State Legislators, National Organization of Black Elected Legislative Women, National Conference of Black Mayors, National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials, and National Association of Black County Officials. A full copy of the report is available at the Joint Center web site, www.jointcenter.org.

The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies is one of the nation's leading research and public policy institutions and the only one whose work focuses primarily on issues of particular concern to African Americans and other people of color. It will mark its 40th Anniversary of service in 2010. To learn more about The Joint Center please visit www.jointcenter.org.

As computers and the Internet become more critical to daily life and work, America will benefit greatly from expanding the reach and capacity of broadband networks. The lack of access and technical literacy for some impacts quality of life, economic development, health care, education, environmental sustainability, public safety, and civic engagement for all U.S. communities. The federal, state, and local governments, in collaboration with the private sector, must play an active role in stimulating adoption and use of advanced broadband connections.

WASHINGTON – African American leaders today hailed the potential for broadband technologies to improve conditions in communities of color, while calling on Congress and industry to expand broadband access. The leaders’ comments came at a forum held at the National Press Club, where they joined with technology experts to discuss the importance broadband access to economic and social progress.

“Broadband technology and deployment is a critical issue for all Americans, and especially those in communities of color,” said U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), who spoke at the event. “Whether it’s health care, education, or the impact on small businesses, broadband technology plays a growing role in the life of African Americans across the country.”

Rep. Jackson Lee also stressed the extensive scope broadband technology has had in empowering African Americans and other people of color in a range of public policy areas.

Her comments were echoed by Ralph B. Everett, President and CEO of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, a research and policy institution that focuses on issues of concern to African Americans. Everett discussed how broadband technology can bring social, political and economic opportunities to vulnerable populations, enable community leaders and advocates to reach broader audiences, and open new avenues for upward mobility.

“Not only is broadband access is a ticket to knowledge and economic opportunity, it can also make an enormous contribution to breaking down social barriers that have long kept many African Americans from realizing their full potential,” said Everett. “Because of this, the widespread deployment of faster, higher-bandwidth networks can and will have an enormous influence in improving the lives of people of color.”

In addition to describing the improvements broadband technology has brought to the historically disadvantaged, forum participants also discussed how government policies might hinder or help the deployment of next-generation networks in struggling urban and rural communities.

The Joint Center is one of the nation's premier research and public policy institutions and the only one whose work focuses primarily on issues of particular concern to African Americans and other people of color. The Joint Center’s activities are focused on improving the socioeconomic status of black Americans and other minorities, expanding their effective participation in the political and public policy arenas, and promoting communications and relationships across racial and ethnic lines to strengthen the nation's pluralistic society.

For more information about the Joint Center and its work and for access to Joint Center Journal, the organization’s blog, go to www.jointcenter.org.

Group at Three-day Meeting will Develop Recommendations and a Plan of Action

CORAL GABLES, Fla. - Digital Pathway to U.S. Economic Recovery and Prosperity, in conjunction with the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, is sponsoring an Emerging Issues Policy Forum (EIPF) Oct. 12-14, where a bipartisan cross section of industry leaders, government leaders and consumers will consider how broadband innovation and advanced communications technology can be used to enhance productivity and efficiency in healthcare, education, and governmental services.

Ralph B. Everett, President and CEO of the Joint Center, is joining former Federal Communications Commission Chairs William E. Kennard (1997-2001) and Michael Powell (2001-2005), the honorary co-chairs of EIPF, and Julia L. Johnson, EIPF Regulatory Advisory Board Chairwoman, in assembling the group that intends to develop policy recommendations and a plan of action for implementing them before the meeting ends on Tuesday.

"In the midst of this worldwide economic downturn, we should renew our commitment to adopting digital, broadband and advanced communications technologies that can improve productivity and lead to the creation of jobs while enhancing the quality of life for all Americans," said Everett.

Everett will be the moderator for a panel discussion on Monday, "Stateside Solutions for a Digital Economy," featuring leaders of organizations representing state legislators.

Kennard, who was FCC Chairman during the Clinton administration, is Managing Director, Global Communications for The Carlyle Group. Powell, who succeeded him and was FCC Chair during George W. Bush's first term as President, is Partner and Senior Advisor of Providence Equity.

EIPF's mission is to create meaningful dialogue among legislators, mayors, governors, industry executives, consumer groups, and federal and state regulators in the energy, communications and information technology industries. EIPF hosts public policy forums which provide participants the opportunity to express their concerns about how business and policy decisions affect the consumers they serve. For additional information on EIPF, please visit: http://emergingissuespolicyforum.org.

The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies is one of the nation's premier research and public policy institutions and the only one whose work focuses exclusively on issues of particular concern to African Americans and other people of color. For more information, go to http://www.jointcenter.org.

“New Media and New Possibilities: Realizing the Promise of the Digital World”

WASHINGTON, DC – With the goal of strengthening knowledge and generating policy development activities in a critical area, the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies today launched a new institute to study how the media industry and emerging communications technologies affect African Americans and other people of color.

The Joint Center Media and Technology Institute will serve as a center for research on how minority Americans use media, how existing communications policies affect them and how emerging interactive forms of media can expand opportunity for them and their communities.

“New communications technologies are having an enormous and immediate impact on the way we live, the way we work, the way we learn and the way we participate in the political process,” said Ralph B. Everett, President and CEO of the Joint Center. “Particularly for many young people living in underserved communities, the stakes are enormously high. This Institute will examine these new trends and build the evidentiary record for the development of relevant policies, programs and initiatives.”

Everett added that the Joint Center Media and Technology Institute will look to close gaps and create new opportunities for access to the digital world for both young and old and explore what measures can be taken to enable the media and technology worlds to become an avenue of advancement for people of color.

“Amid this opportunity, we expect that the Joint Center’s Media and Technology Institute will be a wellspring of ideas and innovative thinking enabling lawmakers and citizens alike to leverage the new media landscape to improve and inform their lives,” said The Honorable Joyce London Alexander Ford, Chair of the Joint Center’s Board of Governors.

During today’s launch of the Institute at the National Press Club in Washington, former Federal Communications Commission Chairman William E. Kennard joined others in highlighting the importance of the new Institute. “Economic success, educational achievement and political engagement are increasingly being shaped and defined by the way people use media and communications technologies,” said Kennard. “And so it is vitally important that those of us who want to improve the socio-economic status of people of color and expand their engagement in the political and public policy arenas must understand how media and technology can advance these goals.”

The launch of the Institute comes after an historic election which saw the winning candidate employ both traditional media and new online technologies to bolster fundraising, political outreach and voter turnout efforts – exemplifying how the use of new media technologies can reach a broad scope of individuals and motivate them to participate in the election process.

At today’s launch event, the Joint Center announced that another former FCC chairman, Michael K. Powell Senior Advisor, Providence Equity Partners, Inc., will chair the new Institute’s National Advisory Committee. “We hear encouraging things about how African Americans and Hispanic Americans are eagerly adopting the new ways of communicating that technology is making possible,” said Powell. “What’s needed now is a focal point for research and policy activity so that we can know more about these types of trends and suggest ways to leverage our knowledge into real improvements in our communities. We now have that in the Joint Center’s Media and Technology Institute.”

Among the Institute’s initial areas of focus will be improving broadband access and online activities among people of color, examining how new media technologies can improve education and health care, and exploring ways that emerging technologies can improve civic engagement and political participation.

Larry Irving, former Administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) will serve as senior fellow for the Joint Center Media and Technology Institute. While at NTIA, he was a principal advisor to the President, Vice President and Secretary of Commerce on domestic and international telecommunications and information technology issues. In the coming months, the Joint Center will announce the selection of a new Vice President to serve as the Director of the Institute and lead a team of additional senior fellows to undertake the research initiatives. Initial funding for the Institute was provided by Verizon Communications, Comcast Corporation, Microsoft Corporation, National Cable & Telecommunications Association and CTIA – The Wireless Association®.

The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies is one of the nation’s premier research and public policy institutions and the only one whose workfocuses primarily on issues ofparticular concern to African Americans and other people of color. For more information about the Joint Center, please visit our Web site at http://www.jointcenter.org.