Cablefax The Magazine October 2022 - 14

Brett Dismuke
GM, ALLBLK & WE tv
AMC Networks
THE WHY? Elevated last year to GM of streaming service ALLBLK & WE tv,
he's building upon his previous experience as ALLBLK's chief content officer
to deliver compelling and diverse content, while also overseeing branding,
marketing, audience development and business strategies. He makes sure the
brands celebrate diverse creators through series such as " TS Madison Experience, "
which follows the social media influencer's journey to being the first
Black trans woman to host a mainstream talk show.
HE SAYS... " I learned a long time ago that the best executed plans are constructed
by a diverse committee of decision makers. "
FIRST INTERNSHIP: Biv 10/Motown Records under the tutelage of Michael
Bivins and Steve Cook.
PUBLIC INTEREST D&I CHAMPION
Like every FCC commissioner, Starks
is committed to closing the digital
divide. But he earned our respect-
and our first-ever Public Interest D&I
Champion honor-for his relentless
drive to ensure that the process is inclusive.
The " Your Home, Your Internet "
pilot program, aimed at finding
ways to get more folks in housing assistance
signed up for free or low-cost
internet, has been a signature Starks
effort. " There is a particular nexus between
housing and connectivity.
If we
can help a family secure housing, we
should be able to help them secure
an internet connection as well, " says
Starks.
While Starks is thrilled with the commitment
to
broadband deployment
through recent legislation such as the
Infrastructure Law, he knows deployment
alone won't be the silver bullet. " I
have heard from too many people that
one of the biggest barriers to getting
online is the cost. Broadband is often
the first to go when household budgets
tighten, and millions of Americans
struggle to afford getting signed up in
the first place. Broadband simply has
not been affordable enough, " he says.
His hope is that Your Home, Your Internet
and similar initiatives will connect
the nearly 48 million households that
are eligible for the FCC's Affordable
Connectivity Program but not yet utilizing
it.
Starks has applied his DEI lens internally
at the Commission as well, helping
in 2020 to launch the Early Career
Diversity Initiative to advance equi14
October
2022
CablefaxDiversity.com
table opportunities for underrepresented
undergraduate, graduate, and
law school students. Before its 2021
launch, the only internships available
at the FCC for years were unpaid and
voluntary. Now, a select number of paid
internships are offered, with the agency
investing resources to recruit students
from HBCUs, Tribal colleges, institutions
serving Hispanics and other
minorities. The program also includes
increased recruitment efforts with
groups such as the National Black Law
Students Association and the Society
of Hispanic Professional Engineers.
" I have seen how getting the right internship
can be the first domino in a
tremendous career, " says Starks, who
adds his office has attracted excellent
interns, including from outside D.C.
" Achieving diversity in the telecom
" I have seen how getting
the right internship can
be the first domino in a
tremendous career "
Geoffrey Starks
FCC Commissioner
policy workforce will take much more
than just this initiative. It is just a start.
I'm equally thrilled to see the incredible
progress the FCBA has made with its
Diversity Pipeline Program. We need
more programs like it. "
Starks also wants to see the FCC think
about DEI not just in terms of media
ownership, but also in employment.
" This is why I support our current proceeding
to reinstate the collection of
broadcast workforce data-which is
something the Communications Act
requires us to do, " he says. " We can't
solve a problem Congress asked us to
solve without collecting the data Congress
required us to collect to solve it. "
DIVERSITY
http://www.CablefaxDiversity.com
Cablefax The Magazine October 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Cablefax The Magazine October 2022
