The Minority Media & Telecom Council has changed its name to better reflect the multiplicity of media now out there.
The new name is a mouthful: The Multicultural, Media, Telecom & Internet Council.
The official announcement is coming at a congressional luncheon Wednesday. But the cat is already out of the bag, since the House testimony of MMTC VP and chief research officer Nicole Turner-Lee is headlined with the new name, and will be even more so if her oral testimony includes her written testimony identifier, "vice president and chief research & policy officer of the Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council, previously known as the Minority Media and Telecommunications Council."
A source said the name change was recently voted on by the board and takes effect Wednesday (Jan. 21).
MMTC co-founder David Honig explains the evolution of the name:
"Founded in 1986 as the 'Minority Ownership Litigation Fund' to get two minority ownership policies (comparative hearing consideration of minority ownership, and distress sales, restored — the FCC suspended them without prior notice). We succeeded, then in 1990 changed the name to 'Minority Media Ownership and Employment Council' and in 1994, when we incorporated, we chose the name 'Minority Media and Telecommunications Council [which was later shortened to Telecom Council]."
The new name, which better reflects our mission today, takes effect today. But it is the same organization [MMTC will remain the acronym-"the "I" is silent, says Honig], and the same mission — promote equal employment opportunity, promote minority ownership and entrepreneurship, and close the digital divide."
