Remarks of Commissioner Mignon L. Clyburn
on Martin Luther King, Jr. and Haiti Earthquake Relief Efforts
Federal Communications Commission
January 15, 2010 
As our nation celebrates the legacy of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., I am 
reminded of the lessons and universal relevance of his eloquent words.  Perhaps most 
poignantly, Dr. King wrote in the spring of 1963:  “We are caught in an inescapable 
network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, 
affects all indirectly.”  
In the same year that Dr. King wrote those words, engineers at the Department of 
Defense’s Advanced Research Project Agency began discussing the idea of connecting 
computers.  Now, almost 50 years later, we have a network of mutuality that has the 
potential to connect and improve the lives of billions of people worldwide.
Our network of mutuality – both on-line and off – is also evidenced by the unimaginable 
devastation wrought by the earthquake in Haiti on January 12.  It is incredible to witness 
the outpouring of international support for a country that, even prior to this most recent 
natural disaster, had faced significant economic challenges.  The world’s reaction has 
brought to life Dr. King’s pronouncement that whatever affects one, affects all.
I applaud Chairman Genachowski’s leadership on this issue.  The Commission’s Media 
Bureau is providing guidance to noncommercial broadcasters on the procedures for 
obtaining expedited approval to engage in fundraising on behalf of the Haitian people.  
Commission staff is also talking with USAID about relief and restoration on the 
telecommunications front and reaching out to Haitian communications providers to assess 
the needs for satellite, wireless, wireline, submarine and broadcast communications both 
within the country and with the U.S. There have also been news reports of the efforts 
that many in our industry have undertaken to lend financial aid and other assistance to 
Haitians.  These efforts truly honor Dr. King's vision. 
As we move forward with our mission to develop a National Broadband Plan, we should 
be mindful of Dr. King’s prescient words.  We are inextricably interconnected one way or 
another, and our efforts must recognize the importance of our shared destinies.