Civil and Human Rights Coalition Calls for Next FCC Chair to Advance Civil Rights Communications Agenda

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Washington, D.C. – Wade Henderson, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement after the announcement that Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Julius Genachowski will step down:

“Today’s announcement of Chairman Genachowski’s departure from the FCC marks an opportunity for the Commission to place a greater emphasis on the needs of our diverse nation. 

As President Obama looks to find the next FCC Chair, as well as a successor to Commissioner McDowell, we hope that he will take into account the important role that the FCC plays in the advancement of equality in American society.

As our nation diversifies, it’s imperative that we increase opportunities for minority and female media ownership, that we expand access to broadband for all Americans, and that we ensure that the implementation of spectrum auctions don’t come at the expense of underserved communities.

We applaud Chairman Genachowski’s steps toward enacting the National Broadband Plan and regulating predatory phone rates for families of prisoners, but that unfinished business will need to be handled by an incoming Chair who recognizes how communications policies impact the poorest and most vulnerable communities in society.

We urge the administration to act with expediency to nominate a new chair, so that the FCC does not lose any time in moving ahead on the civil rights communications agenda.”

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its 200-plus member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.