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TALLAHASSEE, Fla., April 1 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ -- The Alliance for Digital Equality's (ADE) Miami Digital Empowerment Council came together today to present their key findings on the impact of affordable broadband deployment in the areas of job creation, public health, public safety, urban and economic development and educational advancement in Metropolitan Miami. ADE's Miami Digital Empowerment Council (DEC) hosted the event with Tallahassee Mayor John Marks, Florida Representative Oscar Braynon II, Alliance Chairman Julius H. Hollis, Sean Pittman of Pittman Law Group, P.L. and Miami DEC members Fred Jackson and Suzan McDowell at the Florida State Capitol.
"Our Miami Digital Empowerment Council has carefully examined the impact of broadband in our communities for the past year, and our findings show that communities need access to affordable broadband in order to ensure their full participation in the 'digital revolution' that is transforming the nation's economic, social, political, and cultural landscapes," ADE Chairman Julius Hollis said. "ADE will continue to pursue solutions that help make broadband affordable to all residents, especially those in urban and underserved communities to ensure that the last ones with access to the Internet, aren't the first ones off."
ADE's Miami Digital Empowerment Council is part of The Alliance for Digital Equality's nationwide initiative that advocates for increased affordable broadband access and adoption, especially in urban and underserved communities. Digital Empowerment Councils carefully examine how expanded broadband Internet access enhances opportunities for all Americans, especially minority communities within larger cities. In addition to Miami, there are Digital Empowerment Councils in Detroit, Houston, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, and Charleston, S.C.
"Our Florida Legislature has worked around the clock to overcome our current economic challenges," Tallahassee Mayor John Marks said. "In Tallahassee, we're looking into a myriad of options to rejuvenate our economy. ADE's broadband policy recommendations and research provide a framework for my colleagues and other Florida policymakers to begin finding policy resolutions for this important technology issue."
ADE's Tallahassee event follows a recent national briefing held at the request of U.S. House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn where the ADE met with members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, the Congressional Black Caucus, and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus to provide key findings about broadband in America and policy recommendations to secure broadband in every home.
"Over the past year our Miami Digital Empowerment Council has worked closely with other community leaders to find the technological disparities in underserved and urban areas in Miami-Dade County," ADE Miami DEC Member Fred Jackson said. "What we found in our work is that broadband adoption in underserved communities is key for development. Broadband enables the delivery of life-enhancing services such as telemedicine and more efficient teaching tools such as distance learning to better educate our students."
To view ADE's findings and recommendations visit www.alliancefordigitalequality.org.
About The Alliance for Digital Equality
Founded in 2007, The Alliance for Digital Equality is a non-profit consumer advocacy organization that serves to facilitate and ensure equal access to technology in underserved communities. The Alliance also serves as a bridge between policymakers and minority individuals in order to help the public understand how legislative and regulatory policies regarding new technologies can impact and empower their daily lives. For more information on The Alliance for Digital Equality, please visit www.alliancefordigitalequality.org.
SOURCE The Alliance for Digital Equality
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