FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 27, 2015
CONTACT Brian Pacheco, NHMC bpacheco@www.nhmc.org 213-718-0732 (m) 626-792-6462 (o)
NHMC to Promote Responsible and Inclusive Media, Universal and Affordable Connections, Empowered Media and Telecommunications Consumers and Privacy in the Digital Age
WASHINGTON -- The National Hispanic Media Coalition's (NHMC) Board of Directors has approved the organization's 2015 Policy Priorities. NHMC's ambitious agenda to ensure that media is fair and inclusive of Latinos, and that access to communications is universal, affordable, and open, includes the following goals: Responsible and Inclusive Media With a population of nearly 56 million in the United States and Puerto Rico, Latinos are 17 percent of the nation's population, and projected to reach 31 percent by 2060. Latino representation in the media continues to fall short and problems such as stereotyping and hate speech persist. NHMC will push for policies and practices designed to infuse the media with more Latino decision makers, employees, and expert commentators. NHMC will educate advertisers and media companies about the need for responsible portrayals of Latinos and it will empower concerned Latinos to stand up for responsible media. Universal and Affordable Connections Half of all Latinos and nearly two-thirds of Spanish speakers lack broadband at home - largely due to prohibitive costs as nearly one in four Latinos live in poverty. NHMC will seek to maintain, improve, and expand public and private broadband adoption programs. NHMC will encourage the FCC to protect the Open Internet and increase adoption by reclassifying Internet access as a common carrier service under Title II of the Communications Act. Finally, NHMC will seek greater industry competition to drive down prices, increase consumer choice, and protect jobs. Empowered Media and Telecommunications Consumers Reports regularly make headlines about telecommunications and media companies engaging in harmful consumer practices that disproportionately impact Latinos. Additionally, rapid changes in communications technology pose continuous challenges to protections that Latinos and other low-income consumers have relied upon for decades by altering the FCC's authority and the application of its rules. NHMC will monitor media and telecommunications companies to promote policies and practices that treat Latino consumers fairly. In addition, NHMC will continue to provide Latinos with the timely and authoritative information needed to be savvy and vigilant consumers. Privacy in the Digital Age As innovative digital products and services come to market and the vulnerability of major corporate and government databases has become increasingly evident, consumers are often exposed to threats to their privacy. This is a major concern of the Latino community. NHMC will examine public and private sector activities that could represent harmful invasions of Latinos' privacy and civil liberties. It will educate Latinos about these practices and ways to avoid them. Finally, NHMC will promote policies that prevent unreasonable government and corporate intrusion into the lives of consumers and institutions.###
About NHMC
The National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC) is a media advocacy and civil rights organization for the advancement of Latinos, working towards a media that is fair and inclusive of Latinos, and towards universal, affordable, and open access to communications. Learn more at www.nhmc.org. Receive real-time updates on Facebookand Twitter @NHMC.
]]>