By: Jason A. Llorenz, Esq.
January 26, 2012
The Latino mobile adoption story is well told. We know Latinos lead in using mobile, including social networking applications via their handheld devices. This week, a new study by noted economists Rob Shapiro and Kevin Hassettdocuments some interesting developments about job creation in the United States that connect to this overarching narrative.
By: Jason A. Llorenz, Esq.
January 13, 2012
Recently, HACR released its Corporate Inclusion Index (CII) which measures companies across sectors on the issue of diversity. AT&T. The company tied for first place and received a rating of 95 out of 100. NCLR President and CEO, Janet Murguia’s Huffington Post piece lauded AT&T’s ranking. This is significant – and no accident. Let’s be perfectly honest: Fortune 1000 Companies are not in the habit of merely falling into diversity best practices – instead, these inclusion efforts are often due to hard-earned effort by both internal and external leaders.
By: Jason A. Llorenz, Esq.
December 19, 2011
The digital divide is as real today as it was when it was coined over a decade ago. The divide, as HTTP regularly underscores, includes both a lag in access to digital tools, and a dearth in the digital skills needed to compete in the evolving, global economy. We at the Hispanic Technology and Telecommunications Partnership (HTTP) applaud the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the National Cable and Telecommunications Association (NCTA), and providers like Time Warner Cable (TWC) for their support of Connect to Compete. The program will enable families with a child in the National School Lunch Program to have access to affordable broadband.
BY: Jason Llorenz, Esq.
The failure of the so-called Congressional “super committee” had left an important piece of the telecommunications policy agenda in limbo. The initiation of spectrum reallocation to address the looming spectrum crunch was reverted back to the Congressional committees with jurisdiction.
– by Jason Llorenz, Esq.
December 2, 2011
Following this week’s release of the FCC’s controversial internal report critical of the AT&T/T-Mobile merger, much of the back-and-forth has focused on the details—how many jobs would be created, what percentage of the population would get access to LTE, how much spectrum is really available, etc.
Obviously these are important questions—and there’s clearly merit to criticisms that the FCC cherry-picked facts to support its views—but what’s received less attention is what the entire process may have revealed about the FCC.
BY: JASON A. LLORENZ, ESQ.
This week, I will be leading a panel in Chicago for LATISM – an online community of Latinos in Social Media, as a part of their annual conference. LATISM is made up of thousands of Latino social media participants — bloggers, tweeters, and online conversants who use social media to build community online under the hashtag, #LATISM. The talk will explore the Latino digital divide – an opportunity to engage a group of the community’s digital elite in HTTP’s work of evangelizing digital literacy and supporting policies focused on closing the digital divide.
By: Jason A. Llorenz, Esq. and Enrique Cortez
October 25, 2011
A great deal has been said about the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) suit to block the AT&T/T-Mobile merger. Some speculate the deal is dead. In fact, there are two simultaneous processes unfolding – one, in which AT&T is defending against the DOJ suit in court (trial is scheduled for February 13th, and another track through negotiations in which AT&T will seek conditions on the transaction that may satisfy the DOJ and allow the transaction to proceed to FCC review. The nature of these legal processes — particularly the DOJ negotiations, means we will not know much about them as they ensue. Here is an update on the conversation, the stakes and what the ongoing uncertainty means for this transaction.
BY: JASON LLORENZ, ESQ.
In celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, we are reminded of the progress made, and the struggles ahead for America’s fastest-growing community. This month, we celebrate the accomplishments of Latinos in politics, business, and every American sphere. Latinos have progressed, and continue to grow in buying power, educational attainment and number. The work of ensuring Latino participation in all aspects of American life must also include ensuring full digital inclusion – the advancement of digitally literate communities who are online and ready to leverage digital tools across their lives.
By: Jason Llorenz, Esq.
September 14, 2011
Google, the search engine leader is not slowing, even after it recently found itself under investigation by regulators seeking insight into its search practices. Google recently announced its aim to venture further beyond what it has accomplished in cyberspace with its $12.5 billion deal to buy Motorola’s cellphone business. The move has brought up a great many question as to how the deal will reshape the mobile world, Google’s culture and, from our perspective, Latinos and their use of mobile technology.