FCC's McDowell 'Unsatisfied' With Commission's Diversity Efforts

McDowell

FCC Commissioner ROBERT MCDOWELL told the MINORITY MEDIA AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS COUNCIL BROADBAND AND SOCIAL JUSTICE SUMMIT in WASHINGTON WEDNESDAY (1/16) that he is "among the unsatisfied" with the Commission's diversity efforts and that "the Commission cannot delay" any longer completing its diversity studies as required by the courts.

"I hope the Commission will pursue legally sustainable gender- and race- neutral means to increase diversity, including minority and female ownership, such as launching an incubator program, similar to the one proposed by MMTC," MCDOWELL said, adding that the Commission "needs to seriously consider MMTC’s 46 OTHER 'race neutral' proposals. Some of these proposals are outside the context of the media ownership proceeding or need Congressional action, but we should move forward as best we can."

He called for a "new and improved" tax certificate program and the revitalization of "bipartisan efforts to spur the creation of urban enterprise zones," and an end to the newspaper/broadcast cross-ownership ban as well as resistance to calls for limiting joint sales, shared services, and local news service agreements.

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