FCC Chairman Ajit Pai on Friday announced the appointment of 31 members to the Advisory Committee on Diversity and Digital Empowerment (ACDDE), which will meet for the first time on Monday, Sept. 25, in the Commission Meeting Room at the FCC Headquarters in Washington, D.C.
“I am pleased to see the Advisory Committee on Diversity and Digital Empowerment get up and running,” Pai said. “All Americans should have the opportunity to participate in the
communications marketplace, no matter their race, gender, religion, ethnicity, or sexual
orientation. I hope this committee will help our agency take important steps towards increasing diversity throughout the communications industry and bringing digital opportunity to all Americans.”
Pai has designated Julia Johnson, President of NetCommunications LLC, to serve as
Chair of the ACDDE.
Diane Sutter, President/CEO of ShootingStar Broadcasting, will serve as Vice Chair.
A full list of ACDDE members is available in the posted Public Notice at
https://go.usa.gov/xRFRe
“The Commission was fortunate to have such a diverse and well-qualified group of individuals apply to serve on the committee,” Pai noted. “I would like to thank Julia and Diane for agreeing to lead the ACDDE, all of the selected members for the work they will be doing over the course of the next two years, and all applicants for demonstrating their commitment to promoting diversity and digital empowerment.”
The Chairman also announced that three working groups would assist the ACDDE in carrying out its mission. These working groups will be titled Broadcast Diversity and Development, Digital Empowerment and Inclusion, and Diversity in the Tech Sector. The composition of these three working groups will be announced in the future.
The Commission will stream the meeting, with open captioning, through the FCC web site at www.fcc.gov/live.
DEGANI TAKES INTERIM LEGAL ROLE FOR FCC
FCC Chairman Pai on Friday afternoon named Nicholas Degani to serve as the agency’s Acting General Counsel.
Degani will serve in the role on an interim basis following Jennifer Tatel’s departure from the agency.
Degani joined the Commission in 2007 through the Attorney Honors Program. During his decade at the Commission, he has served as Senior Counsel to Chairman Pai and Wireline Legal Advisor to then-Commissioner Pai; been detailed to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce; and worked in the Wireline Competition Bureau and the Office of General Counsel.
