The Minority Media and Telecommunications Council’s (MMTC) Seventh Annual Access to Capital and Telecom Policy Conference is slated for July 20-21, 2009, at Washington, D.C.’s Westin Grand Hotel.
This conference will be of interest to entities who want to explore potential partnerships with socially and and economically disadvantaged small businesses (SDBs)1 for broadband stimulus grant applications under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).
Grant applicants that qualify as SDBs or that partner with SDBs receive additional consideration in the National Telecommunications and Information Administration's (NTIA) Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) grant review process for infrastructure, public computer centers, and sustainable adoption grant applications, as well as an additional point in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP) grant application process.
MMTC expects to host more than 300 entrepreneurs, senior managers, bankers, venture capitalists, brokers and attorneys, and representatives from established media, telecom or broadband firms seeking deals, financing and partnerships under the BTOP and BIP grant programs.
Confirmed participants include:
- Commissioners Michael Copps and Robert McDowell of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
- FCC National Broadband Coordinator Blair Levin
- White House Presidential Assistant for Science, Technology & Innovation Susan Crawford
- NTIA Deputy Assistant Secretary Anna Gomez
- National Cable & Telecommunications President Kyle McSlarrow
- Comcast Senior Vice President Joe Waz
- USTelecom CEO Walter McCormick
- CTIA CEO Steve Largent
- Verizon Vice President David Hill
- RLJ Equity Partners Vice President Jerry Johnson
- MasTec President Jose Mas
- National Urban League President Marc Morial
- National Conference of Black Mayors’ Vanessa Williams
- Telecom Africa President Joseph Okpaku
- One Economy CEO Rey Ramsey
- Telecom industry sponsors such as AT&T, Comcast, Verizon, Qwest, Google and Qualcomm
Highlights:
- July 20, 8 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. – Broadband and the Minority Community Summit – A full morning of dialog and valuable information is followed by a Summit on Broadband and the Minority Community. This summit provides a top-of-the-mountain overview of broadband policy, with experts from the broadband industry, the White House, the states, cities, youth groups and consumers. It is followed by a marketplace for industries seeking minority business partnerships.
- July 21, 8 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. – MMTC’s Financial and Procurement Forum – This forum will provide an opportunity for companies interested in doing business with minority entrepreneurs to meet them face to face, discuss their business plans, and explore potential relationships and services. Entrepreneurs operate in the mass media, wireless and broadband spaces, offering content, distribution and professional services. Davis Wright Tremaine will have a table at this forum.
Our telecommunications group has been deeply involved in ARRA's implementation. Click here to learn more about our experience and knowledge in this area.
1 Note that the applicant must meet the definition of an SDB under the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. Section 637(a)(4) (i.e., an entity whose business satisfies the SBA’s relevant size standards for its applicable industry classification, such as, for example, a broadband service or infrastructure provider with average gross revenues not exceeding $40 million for the preceding three years, and that is unconditionally controlled by certain ethnic groups whose ability to compete in the free enterprise system has been impaired).