MMTC Urges 'Humane Decommissioning' Of AM Band

The Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council (MMTC) has given the Trump transition team a to-do list of 12 telecom priorities for creating a more diverse media in terms of access, ownership, participation and procurement.

Among its priorities, the civil rights group is asking the incoming administration to create a “glide path” for the short-term survival of AM radio while at the same time developing a long-term “humane decommissioning” of the band in a way that preserves minority ownership.

The group has been especially outspoken about AM radio because the band has been the entry point for many minority- and women-owned companies noting the latest statistics show about 60% of all minority-owned radio stations are AMs. “It is time to start thinking about a future without AM radio,” it tells the Trump team.

MMTC also urges the Trump administration to take steps that will help increase ownership diversity and explicitly for radio it urges the incoming team to embrace a multilingual EAS in all radio markets—an issue that the MMTC is currently fighting the FCC in federal appeals court.