Federal Communications Commission	"FCC/DA  XX-XXX"


DA 20-1252
Released:  October 22, 2020

FCC ANNOUNCES NOVEMBER 6, 2020 SYMPOSIUM ON 
ACCESS TO CAPITAL FOR SMALL AND DIVERSE BROADCASTERS

GN Docket No. 17-208

This Public Notice announces that the Access to Capital Working Group of the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Advisory Committee on Diversity and Digital Empowerment (ACDDE) and the FCC’s Media Bureau will co-host a virtual symposium entitled Path to Media Ownership and Sustainability on November 6, 2020, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., EST.  The symposium will examine access to capital for small and diverse broadcasters.  The event will be convened virtually via WebEx and will be available to the public streaming via the Internet at www.fcc.gov/live.    

The symposium will feature broadcasters and lenders discussing how to obtain financing for broadcast station transactions in today’s challenging financial circumstances, as well as experts discussing the history of the previous broadcast tax certificate policy and the potential for a new tax certificate policy to increase broadcast ownership diversity.  The symposium will also include presentations from Nielsen Global Media on ratings measurements for multi-ethnic broadcast stations, and a discussion of how small and diverse broadcasters can attract increased advertising revenue.  Finally, Congressional staff members will provide updates on pending legislation intended to increase diverse media ownership.  The complete symposium agenda is attached to this Public Notice.  

Open 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, as well as contact information for the requester if more information is needed to address 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.

Members of the public may submit comments to the ACDDE using the FCC’s Electronic Comment Filing System, ECFS, at www.fcc.gov/ecfs.  Comments to the ACDDE should be filed in GN Docket No. 17-208.

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