Federal Communications Commission DA 20-1228 DA 20-1228 Released: October 16, 2020 FCC ANNOUNCES OCTOBER 23, 2020 TECH SUPPLIER DIVERSITY OPPORTUNITY SHOWCASE Virtual Event to be Co-hosted by Internet Association GN Docket No. 17-208 This Public Notice announces that the Digital Empowerment and Inclusion Working Group of the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Advisory Committee on Diversity and Digital Empowerment (ACDDE) and the FCC’s Media Bureau will convene a virtual Tech Supplier Diversity Opportunity Showcase on Friday, October 23, 2020, from 1:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., EDT. The event will be co-hosted by the Internet Association, a member organization of the ACDDE. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, Internet Association Interim President and CEO Jon Berroya, and National Urban League President and CEO Marc Morial will deliver remarks. Prior registration is required. Through its ongoing work, the ACDDE recognizes the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on diverse communications businesses and their increased need for financial support from the government, as well as from the private sector, to weather the current economic crisis and preserve and grow their businesses. These businesses need various forms of financial support, including short and long-term loans, grants, contracting, angel investing, and private equity/venture capital. The Tech Supplier Diversity Opportunity Showcase will provide information, resources, and support to diverse communications businesses, including those focused on legacy communications industries (e.g., radio, television, telecommunications, and satellite), as well as those engaged in more technology-oriented industries that wish to do business with tech and communications companies or government agencies as vendors, suppliers, or partners. The showcase will also provide resources to businesses seeking to upgrade their own operations technologically. The showcase will include two information-packed panels. The first panel, Show Me the Money: Traditional and Alternative Sources of Capital, will feature representatives from FinTech, tech sector companies, community banks and organizations, private equity/venture capital entities and the Small Business Administration (SBA), who will discuss traditional and alternative sources of capital. The second panel, How to Pivot in a COVID-19 World: Opportunities and Reinvention Strategies for Diverse Communications Businesses, will examine the resources, strategies and future technology trends that will enable diverse communications businesses to pivot today and plan for tomorrow. The agenda for the showcase will be released in a future public notice. The showcase will be presented as a Zoom webinar. The Zoom webinar will be held at 1:00 pm, EDT, on Friday, October 23, 2020.  To register and join the online event: 1. Click here or copy the link below and paste it into your browser    https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_GW0PCaEdRRipR0mktLcvpQ  2. Complete the requested information and click Register. 3. Once registered, you will receive a confirmation email message containing instructions for joining the event, the password, and the link for the meeting. The workshop will be held in an online format and will be available to the public via the Internet Association website at https://internetassociation.org/. Captioning will be provided for this event.  Other reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities are available upon request.  Requests for such accommodations should be submitted via e-mail to fcc504@fcc.gov or by calling the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau at (202) 418-0530 (voice), (202) 418-0432 (TTY).  Such requests should include a detailed description of the accommodation needed.  In addition, please include a way for the FCC to contact the requester if more information is needed to fill the request.  Please allow at least five days’ advance notice for accommodation requests; last minute requests will be accepted but may not be possible to accommodate.   More information about the ACDDE is available at https://www.fcc.gov/advisory-committee-diversity-and-digital-enpowerment. You may also contact Jamila Bess Johnson, the Designated Federal Officer for the Advisory Committee on Diversity and Digital Empowerment, at (202) 418-2608, or Jamila-Bess.Johnson@fcc.gov; or Julie Saulnier, Deputy Designated Federal Officer, at (202) 418-1598, or Julie.Saulnier@fcc.gov; or Jamile Kadre, Deputy Designated Federal Officer, at (202) 418-2245 or Jamile.Kadre@fcc.gov. – FCC – 2