January 2016

In this edition of NHMC at Work:

Annual NHMC Impact Awards Gala
Latinos Win Big at the Golden Globes!
Representation of Latino Talent at the Academy Awards
NHMC Opposes Charter-Time Warner Cable Merger at CPUC
NHMC Applauds FCC’s Proposals to Reform Cable Box Rules
NHMC Urges FCC to Protect Consumer Privacy
NHMC Policy Fellowship Submission Period Extended
Don’t Miss Jennifer Lopez, Eva Longoria and America Ferrera on NBC!

NHMC to Kick Off 30th Anniversary Celebration at 19th Annual Impact Awards Gala

Fast approaching is NHMC‘s premier event, the 19th Annual NHMC Impact Awards Gala, being held on Friday, February 26, 2016 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California.

Join us for a special night to celebrate NHMC‘s 30th anniversary workingtowards a media that is fair and inclusive of Latinos, and towards universal, affordable, and open access to communications.Confirmed honorees include: Andrea Navedo, Luis Guzman, John Quiñones, ESPN and East Los High.

Latino Talent Wins Big at the Golden Globes!

The 73rd Golden Globe Awards took place earlier this month and recognized three Latinos for their tremendous talent. Winners included Mexican director Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu as Best Director for a Motion Picture, The Revenant; the film also won Best Motion Picture Drama. Guatemalan actor Oscar Isaac won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Limited Series or Motion Picture for his role in the HBO movie Show Me a Hero. Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal won the Golden Globe for Best Performance in a Television Series musical or comedy for Amazon Studio’s Mozart in the Jungle; the show also won best comedy series. Fellow Latino nominees included Gina Rodriguez for her work in Jane the Virgin, Wagner Moura for his role in Narcos, and the Foreign Language Film nominee from Chile, The Club.

Representation of Latinos at the Academy Awards

The NHMC stands in solidarity with the critics of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for disregarding people of color in one of the major categories of the ceremony. The membership reforms that have been put in place are long and coming, and theNHMC applauds these efforts. Having said that, let us celebrate the Latinos that have garnered nominations for their outstanding work in film-making. This year’s nominees include:

Alejandro G. Innaritu, Best Director, The Revenant Emmanuel Lubezk, Best Cinematography, The Revenant Ale Abreu, Best Animated Feature Film, Boy and the World Gabriel Osorio & Pato Escala, Best Short Film-Animated, Bear Story Frank A. Montaño, Best Sound Mixing, The Revenant Martin Hernandez, Best Sound Editing, The Revenant Embrace the Serpent, Best Foreign Film (Colombia) Congratulations to these talented Latinos!

D.C. Policy Shop Update

NHMC ‘s policy shop kicked off 2016 with a bang, as we weighed in on several far-reaching policy issues that would impact Latino consumers nationwide.

NHMC Opposes Charter-Time Warner Cable Merger at CPUC

NHMCPresident and CEO Alex Nogales testified before the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) in Los Angeles on Tuesday, Jan. 26, urging the agency to reject Charter Communication’s proposed acquisition of Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks.

During his testimony, Nogales outlined how the merged company would reach over half of California homes, creating less competition in the broadband and cable television markets, subsequently resulting in higher prices and less options for California consumers. Nogales pointed out several ways in which the acquisition would harm Latino consumers, noting the companies’ lack of commitment to diverse programming, employment, and participation in government programs aimed at connecting low-income families. His full remarks can be found here.

NHMC joined several other organizations and members of the public in speaking out against the merger, including the Center for Media Justice, Common Cause, Courage Campaign, Free Press, the Greenlining Institute, and Media Alliance.

The remarks came at the heels of NHMC filing testimony before the CPUC in opposition to the merger. Within our testimony, NHMC detailed how the merger could increase prices for California broadband users and decrease diversity in both programming and employment. NHMC‘s written testimony can be found here.

NHMC Applauds FCC’s Proposals to Reform Cable Box Rules

NHMC lauded the Federal Communication Commission’s announcement that it would circulate a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking designed to create competition in the cable box, or “set top box” market, creating greater consumer choice over how to access video content.

Consumers currently face an up-hill battle in purchasing their own cable box or accessing cable programming on alternative devices. More than 99 percent rent a box from their cable company, resulting in excessive rental fees costing consumers nearly $20 billion per year. By opening the market up to third-party innovators, consumers can both save money and enjoy a more customizable, integrated viewing experience with online video. Such an approach would provide viewers with more options and remove barriers to diverse, independent content creators reaching a larger audience.

“This type of environment would be a tremendous boon for viewers wanting to find the diverse programming that speaks to the needs of their communities and, potentially, allow many content creators a clear path around cable company gatekeepers and into consumers’ homes,” said Michael Scurato, vice president of policy for National Hispanic Media Coalition.

One week before the announcement, NHMC joined several other organizations in writing a letter to the FCC urging this course of action. The FCC produced a fact sheet available here, and FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler penned an op-ed detailing the potential consumer benefits.

NHMC Urges FCC to Protect Consumer Privacy

NHMCjoined over 50 other consumer-interest groups and non-profits in asking FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler to propose rules for broadband providers to protect consumer data. In a letter signed byNHMC and numerous allies, groups urged the FCC to initiate a rulemaking and recommended several steps toward safeguarding consumers, including requiring providers to acquire appropriate consent before collecting or sharing personal data and ensuring providers clearly disclose data breaches and privacy practices.

The full letter can be found here.

Policy Fellowship Program Submission Period Extended

Each semester NHMC selects at least one student to participate in its Policy Fellowship Program. Fellows are guided through legal and policy research, analysis, writing and public speaking. They build skills while enhancing NHMC‘s advocacy before the Federal Communications Commission and other agencies. Past fellows hail from distinguished schools such as UCLA, Berkeley, Georgetown, American and UNC. NHMCstaff is dedicated to connecting them with future employers. Former NHMCfellows have gone on to judicial clerkships, the FCC, non-profit organizations, and law firms large and small.

Click here for the application details.

Don’t Miss Jennifer Lopez, Eva Longoria and America Ferrera on NBC!

Catch Jennifer Lopez as Harlee Santos in Shades of Blue on Thursdays at 10:00 p.m. on NBC. Lopez plays a charismatic single mother and resourceful detective at the heart of a tight-knit crew of Brooklyn detectives, led by enigmatic Lt. Matt Wozniak (Ray Liotta, Goodfellas, Field of Dreams) who often leads the team to step outside the limitations of the law in order to effectively protect their precinct and their own.

Mondays at 8:30 p.m. on NBC, Eva Longoria (Desperate Housewives) stars in, Telenovela, a comedy about Ana Sofia, a sizzling TV superstar and her lively family of cast and crew,

all competing to steal the spotlight. When the cameras turn off, the drama turns up, as Ana battles pesky network execs, drunken script writers, narcissistic co-stars and an unfortunately familiar new onscreen love interest.

Airing right before Telenovela is Superstorestarring America Ferrera (Ugly Betty) and Ben Feldman (Mad Men, A to Z).The hilarious workplacecomedy Superstore follows a unique family of employees at a super-sized megastore. Superstore centers around Amy (Ferrera), the store’s most stalwart employee as well as the glue holding the place together, and newly hired Jonah (Feldman), a naive dreamer determined to prove work doesn’t have to be boring.

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