Media Contact:
Alisa Valentin, (202) 418-2500
Alisa.Valentin@fcc.gov
For Immediate Release


COMMISSIONER STARKS ANNOUNCES JOINT WEBINAR WITH NTIA FOR WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH: 
WOMEN OF COLOR AND THE TECHNOLOGICAL FRONTIER

WASHINGTON, March 18, 2021 — On Tuesday, March 23, 2021, at 1 p.m. ET, FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks will virtually host a joint webinar with NTIA’s Minority Broadband Initiative: Women of Color and the Technological Frontier.
 
The COVID-19 pandemic has shown the ways broadband can empower communities and it has also exposed the social and economic inequities associated with broadband adoption.  It is clear—now more than ever—that research and analysis about households that remain unconnected will support continuing efforts of closing the digital divide.  For Women’s History Month, the Office of FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks and NTIA’s Minority Broadband Initiative are hosting a joint webinar featuring women of color who are thought leaders in broadband research.  During this event, panelists will discuss how the digital divide impacts marginalized communities and how research strategies can lead to policy solutions that address existing disparities in broadband access and adoption. 

This event will be open to the public via the live feed from the FCC’s web page at www.fcc.gov/live and on the FCC’s YouTube channel.

Moderator:  
Dr. Francine E. Alkisswani, Minority Broadband Initiative, NTIA

Panelists:
· Dr. Traci Morris, Executive Director, American Indian Policy Institute (AIPI) at Arizona State University 
· Dr. Fallon Wilson, Vice President of Policy, Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council (MMTC)
· Dr. Blanca Gordo, Visiting Scholar, Institute for the Study of Societal Issues (ISSI) at University of California, Berkeley 
 
For additional information about the roundtable, please contact Alisa Valentin from the Office of FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks at (202) 418-2500 or Alisa.Valentin@fcc.gov.

Office of Commissioner Geoffrey Starks: (202) 418-2500
ASL Videophone: (844) 432-2275
TTY: (888) 835-5322
Twitter: @GeoffreyStarks
www.fcc.gov/about/leadership/geoffrey-starks

This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action. Release of the full text of a Commission order constitutes official action. See MCI v. FCC, 515 F.2d 385 (D.C. Cir. 1974).