On Tuesday, April 12, the Mabuhay Alliance hosted a summit in Los Angeles titled, “Minorities Leading the Broadband Revolution.” Discussions focused on how minority communities are harnessing the power of broadband and how broadband can impact those communities. The panel featured Nancy Ryan of the California Public Utilities Commission, Elva Lima, Vice President of Strategic Programs at Verizon, Chris Boyer, Assistant Vice President of Public Policy at AT&T, and Inez Gonzalez, Executive Vice President of the National Hispanic Media Coalition.

Two key themes presented themselves during the panel discussion – investment and digital literacy. Elva Lima talked about how private investment in broadband infrastructure is helping minority communities by giving them affordable access to broadband. She also stressed the importance of partnerships between broadband providers and local organizations to ensure that the community understands the value of broadband. This is especially significant in that recent studies show “relevance” as a primary barrier to adoption.

When asked what the power of broadband meant to him, Chris Boyer stated that he sees broadband in three basic terms. First, broadband is an enabler. Broadband allows for online applications that benefit almost every industry, including healthcare, the environment, public safety, education, and the economy. Second, broadband is a necessary tool that changes the way we go about our daily business. And third, broadband means investment. In California alone, AT&T invested over $7 billion in broadband infrastructure between 2007-2009. This level of investment not only means more people with access to broadband, but also job creation and growth. See more below in our interview following the event with Boyer.

Inez Gonzalez focused on the transformative power of broadband for minority communities, including giving them access to more jobs and financial aid. While Gonzalez cites price as another barrier to adoption, as we mentioned earlier price rarely makes it to the top of the page on the reasons why the non-adopters choose not to sign-up for high-speed Internet service. One of those reasons, digital literacy, is something Gonzalez elaborates on in our interview below, to include the importance of everyone in the community playing a role in helping people understand the life-enhancing benefits of broadband.

Stay tuned for future coverage of the Mabuhay Alliance Summits. The next one will take place in Chicago, IL on May 22, 2010.

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