MMTC Memo To Trump Transition Team Calls For AM Band 'Decommissioning,' Multilingual Emergency Alerts

Memo

The MULTICULTURAL MEDIA, TELECOM, AND INTERNET COUNCIL (MMTC) has written a memo to the TRUMP FCC transition team and FCC Commissioners AJIT PAI and MIKE O'RIELLY offering what it called "Twelve Imperatives to Close the Digital Divide and Advance Multicultural Media and Telecom Ownership and Procurement in the First 100 Days of the New Administration."

Among the twelve points in the DECEMBER 2nd memo are a call to "decommission" the AM band in a "long-term humane" manner, compensating AM broadcasters for their assets while moving the programming to other platforms in a "glide path"; a call to provide for multilingual emergency information in all radio markets; and encouragement to adopt an "Overcoming Disadvantages Preference" for eligible entities in auctions.

The memo also called for extension of FCC equal procurement opportunity enforcement to all regulatory platforms; a push to better address employment discrimination in the communications industries; more diversity and inclusion in the regulatory processes; preservation of the Lifeline program; support for free data programs for mobile broadband; a ban on geographic redlining for broadband deployment; action against "applications redlining" that blocks credit and employment through the use of data collected online; a ban on predatory telephone rates charged to prisoners and their families; and a program of tax incentives, auction bidding credits, and other measures to incentivize secondary market transactions in wireless spectrum.

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