he Alliance for Digital Equality (http://www.alliancefordigitalequality.org) leadership — including Chairman Julius H. Hollis, Vice Chairman Manuel (Manny) A. Diaz and Senior Advisor Shirley Franklin — traveled to Washington, D.C., this week to advocate for increased minority access to broadband technology.
Their trip follows the recent release of the Federal Communications Commission’s National Broadband Plan, and served as an opportunity for the ADE leadership team to begin dialogue with key policymakers, thought leaders and the media regarding the plan’s implementation.
“Following the release of the FCC’s National Broadband Plan, we hope to draw attention to the millions of un-served and underserved Americans who do not yet have Broadband Internet access,” says Hollis. “There is still a digital divide that exists today. In fact, statistics suggest that African-Americans and Latinos are not making use of home broadband and Internet technology as extensively as the rest of the population. The ADE is committed to serving as a leading voice for these communities as our country moves to implement the Broadband Plan and provide universal broadband.”
The Alliance for Digital Equality, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, is a nonpartisan, non-profit consumer advocacy organization that serves to facilitate and ensure equal access to technology in underserved communities. The Alliance also serves as a bridge between policymakers and minority individuals “in order to help the public understand how legislative and regulatory policies regarding new technologies can impact and empower their daily lives.”