1Commissioner Mignon Clyburn Remarks to the National Urban League
Annual Convention 2015
July 30, 2015
Good morning, Urban Leaguers!  What an honor it is for me to take part in 
this year’s annual convention, Save Our Cities: Education, Jobs and Justice.
What a fitting theme, that so boldly encapsulates the events of the past year.  But,
if you would, allow me to pause and speak about the progress we as a nation have 
made over the last 12 months, because we too rarely focus on the good. 
As a nation, we are seeing improvement when it comes to education – the 
high school dropout rate is falling.  We are witnessing gains on the jobs front – the 
national unemployment rate is decreasing.  We are making incremental but 
noteworthy steps when it comes to justice – we are witnessing a nationwide, 
bipartisan conversation on criminal justice reform, and we are seeing more 
scrutiny, investigations and charges levied on those who may have fallen short of
the oath they were sworn to abide by. And, yes, most often the proof of this is 
bolstered by video, but it was not that long ago that even this degree of proof 
would not have made a difference. 
But, as Dr. King reminded us, “Human progress is neither automatic nor 
inevitable. Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and 
struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern, of dedicated individuals.”
You are those individuals. From President Marc Morial, to your National 
and Local trustees, to the leadership of your affiliates, and volunteers – to the 
Urban League Guild and Young Professionals, and to the National and local staff 
and supporters – we are grateful for your commitment to ensuring that African
Americans and other underserved populations have access to the training and 
support needed to pursue equality and justice.  Without a doubt, the progress and 
optimism we have are too often clouded by heartache and struggle. The protesters, 
supporters and empathizers of the #BlackLivesMatter movement are heartsick, but 
also engaged and determined to bring about change.  The 11.3% of African 
Americans currently unemployed are heartsick, but continue to toil to support their 
families and search for opportunities.  The nearly 500 counties in our nation 
classified as Persistent Poverty Areas – communities that have been 
disproportionately and desperately poor for 30 years or more – are heartsick, but 
many remain hopeful. They are longing for, and are in need of, support and 
empowerment from all of us.
2Like you, I hear them, and refuse to let the pain of heartache wear me down
or stifle my resolve. Each of us is here today because we realize that we are the
architects and builders of change and hope.
It may sometimes seem that we are the only drafters and designers of the 
blueprints for success and opportunity, but we keep pushing, we keep moving, we 
refuse to keep our heads down or our backs bent.
For me, Urban Leaguers, it is about providing opportunities through 
communications.  We have witnessed some real gains when broadband and 
technology are used to tackle some of our most chronic societal problems. Our 
economy is growing and communications technologies are empowering us and 
making our lives more convenient.  Whether it is applying for a job, completing 
difficult homework assignments, buying a plane ticket or seeking medical help, 
this is all increasingly easier with Internet access.  Entrepreneurs are accessing new 
platforms and solving new and long-standing problems.  Broadband is breaking 
down barriers to achievement for minorities, people with disabilities, and the poor.  
After all, when you are shopping online – you may never know what the 
seller or purchaser looks like. I have heard stories from people of color who say 
that they are making much more money online than they ever did when they were 
pounding the pavement and knocking on doors, facing rejection that many 
concluded may have been due to longstanding prejudices and biases. 
But, even as an equalizer of opportunities, even with all of the hope that 
broadband brings, too many in our community cannot afford to be connected. Too 
many of our schools and libraries have inadequate broadband speeds. Too many 
children lack broadband at home to complete homework. Too many of our 
community schools are not offering Advanced Placement or advanced STEM 
courses, and this is putting our talented young people at a competitive 
disadvantage. 
Companies that pay the best wages will never hire those who are not 
digitally proficient, and without each of us challenging high-tech companies to 
recruit from historically black colleges and universities and from state-supported 
schools, and without each of us being the bridge for those who do not have 
corporate contacts, our young people will never have a chance of being employed 
by high tech companies or any other company. This will leave our most talented
unable to fully develop and market those excellent business ideas waiting to be 
unleashed, leaving our communities stuck on the wrong side of the opportunities 
divide, and less likely to gain access to venture capital networks or wealth.
3This is why I am passionate about connecting the dots, between the promise 
of broadband and the actual results in people’s lives.  
I am determined to work with you to modernize our country’s only low-
income telecommunications affordability program, by making the existing support 
for Lifeline include support for broadband, not just voice-only service as it does 
today.  
We have all heard that relevance, not cost, is the reason many do not have 
broadband. But as community leaders, you know firsthand that when you ask that 
proud senior on a fixed income whether she wants to sign up for broadband, her 
dignity will never allow her to admit that she cannot afford it. She will tell you that 
she does not need it, but we know that is just not true.
Pew Research Center just reported that African Americans have adopted 
broadband faster than any other group over the past 15 years.  But they also 
reported that of the majority of those without broadband have household incomes
lower than $30,000 a year. So we are committed to ensuring that cost is no longer a 
barrier to broadband adoption, but this will only happen through partnerships with 
industry, the government, and you.  
Last week, the Commission voted to approve a merger between AT&T and 
DirecTV. What you may not have heard, however, is that our office worked with 
the company to design a program that will offer individuals and families eligible 
for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) the ability to purchase 10 
Mbps of broadband for $10 a month, without any connection or equipment fees or 
hidden charges. At that speed, you could download instructional videos, get 
wellness care through telemedicine, and start and maintain an online business. 
We also recognize, however, that even if larger communications companies
are created through consolidation, we still have an obligation to look out for small 
businesses and ensure that we promote independent and diverse television and 
radio programming. I will never abandon those goals, and I have called for the 
FCC to initiate proceedings to identify these opportunities.
And, I will not quit until the FCC finally and completely answers the calls of 
thousands of petitioners, who have been pleading for well over a decade for relief 
from those exorbitant telephone calling fees that are charged by companies that 
serve jails and prisons. We made a critical first step two years ago, but that did not 
solve the bulk of the problem for the majority of the 2.7 million children who are 
struggling to maintain contact with their incarcerated parent. The poorest of 
families, friends, and legal aid lawyers are shelling out $400 and $500 a month to 
keep in touch with their loved ones and provide support for their clients. 
4Hundreds of thousands of inmates are unable to stay connected with their
communities, and as a consequence of not being able to keep in touch, they go 
home as strangers. This, I am convinced, plays a role in the fact that 75% of those 
released are back behind bars within five years.
I may not be able to stop every inmate from reoffending, but I can and will 
do my part when it comes to criminal justice reform. I can make a difference so
that cost will not be the main barrier for families, friends and lawyers when it 
comes to maintaining contact with those who are incarcerated. The reason why this 
has gone on for so long is because too many of us have remained silent. The time 
is now for us to stop ignoring this problem. The time is now for you to push the 
FCC to finish what it started. The time is now for you to demand that those 40-plus 
states who refuse to address the issue of unfair inmate calling rates stop ignoring 
what Kim Keenan of MMTC calls a “tax on pain”.
For too many, we are all the hope they have. Each of us has the capacity and 
ability to push when needed, pull if required, prod when necessary, protect when 
warranted, and deliver always. 
Let us use these hours we have to share, to sharpen our tools, be enlightened 
by new concepts and strategies, and get energized – so that we have the stamina 
needed to carry the torch of hope and change.
Thank you.