FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr Is Featured Speaker at Oct. 14 Virtual Event

FOR RELEASE: October 12, 2020

Contact: Richard T. Kaplar
The Media Institute
703-243-5700

Arlington, Va., October 12, 2020 – The Media Institute will bestow awards on David L. Cohen, senior executive vice president of Comcast Corporation, and Mignon Clyburn, former FCC commissioner and acting chair, at its annual “Free Speech America” Gala on Wednesday, Oct. 14.  The event will take place in a virtual format starting at 8 p.m. EDT.

David Cohen will receive the American Horizon Award for his visionary industry leadership, spearheading Comcast’s Internet Essentials program that has connected more than 8 million low-income Americans to the Internet at home since 2011.  Presenting the award will be Cesar Conde, chairman of the NBCUniversal News Group and a leader in building Spanish-language media.

Mignon Clyburn will receive the Freedom of Speech Award for her efforts as an FCC commissioner to promote free speech by making broadband and technology accessible to everyone.  The award will be presented by Rep. G. K. Butterfield, a member of the House Committee on Energy and Technology and a life-long defender of civil rights.

FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr will deliver keynote remarks.  Commissioner Carr is leading the FCC’s efforts to modernize the infrastructure rules governing the build-out of 5G and other next-gen networks, helping bring more broadband to more Americans.

The master of ceremonies will be communications attorney and former FCC chairman Richard E. Wiley of Wiley Rein LLP.

The theme of the evening will be “A Voice for Everyone,” recognizing the efforts of Mr. Cohen and Ms. Clyburn to promote inclusion and bring broadband and telecom access to Americans in all their diversity throughout the country.

David Cohen also served as Comcast’s first chief diversity officer, making the Comcast workforce a welcoming place for workers of all backgrounds.  Commissioner Clyburn  has been a proponent of viewpoint diversity among broadcasters and long-time supporter of closing the “digital divide.”

The Media Institute is a nonprofit foundation specializing in communications policy and the First Amendment.  For more information, visit the Institute online at www.mediainstitute.org/.

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