The National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters congratulated Commissioner Mignon Clyburn on her appointment as Acting FCC Chairman as the confirmation of Tom Wheeler winds through the Senate. But it would have liked Clyburn to have gotten the Chair part without the Acting part.
NABOB had been calling for the appointment of a “woman of color” to the chair, putting in charge an individual with a keen sense of the state of minority broadcast ownership who would be committed to trying to fix it.
That said, the organization also congratulated Wheeler and pledged to work with him during his tenure at the FCC.
Here is NABOB’s full statement.
“NABOB is pleased to join the chorus of voices congratulating FCC Interim Chairwoman Mignon Clyburn. We also commend President Obama for the historic appointment of the first woman to chair the FCC. That the first woman chair is an African American is a double achievement for the President. Chairwoman Clyburn is extremely well qualified to lead the FCC, and NABOB looks forward to continuing to work with her in her new role.
“NABOB also congratulates Tom Wheeler on being nominated by the President to become the permanent chair of the Commission. While NABOB had pressed the President to appoint a woman of color to the position of permanent chair, we look forward to working with Mr. Wheeler upon his confirmation by the Senate.
“As NABOB noted in its efforts to have a woman of color appointed to the permanent chair, the next chair of the FCC must address a number of important issues, including: the continuing decline of minority ownership in the broadcasting industry, the lack of participation of minorities in the Commission’s recent auctions and new technologies, the Commission’s eighteen year failure to complete the studies required by the Supreme Court’s Adarand decision as a prerequisite to reestablishing the Commission’s minority ownership policies, and the threatened loss of service to minority communities posed by the planned Incentive Auctions.
“NABOB looks forward to working with Chairwoman Clyburn on these issues during her tenure and with Mr. Wheeler upon his confirmation by the Senate.”
