Friday, December 23, 2011

The Broadband and Social Justice Blog was created by the Minority Media and Telecommunications Council (MMTC) to promote diversity and inclusion in the media, telecom, and broadband industries, and to facilitate universal broadband access, adoption, and informed use in multicultural communities.

Geek of the Week

Linette Hwu is the vice president of business affairs at Scripps Networks/Travel Channel. In this role, Hwu leads a team that negotiates Travel Channel programming, manages business relationships with its production companies and talent, and manages the channel’s home video business. Hwu also played an important role as co-chair in the integration of the Travel Channel into Scripps Networks after its acquisition in 2009. Prior to her current role, Hwu worked as the vice president of legal/commercial affairs and operations for Travel Channel Media and as the vice president of legal affairs for Discovery Communications.

People's Hero of the Week

Making the BBSJ People’s Hero of the Week list more than once is unprecedented, but in this case, our Hero is more than worthy of the honor. Former FCC Commissioner Michael Copps has spent a lifetime serving the public interest, first as a professor at Loyola University, then as a staffer for Sen. Ernest “Fritz” Hollings, and finally as a commissioner and chairman at the FCC. And in his lifetime, Copps has certainly made his mark as a champion for the people, the public interest, and minority interests. Commissioner Copps has been a longtime friend to MMTC and a fierce advocate for our causes, and in honor of his legacy, MMTC held a retrospective forum that brought together 14 FCC Commissioners from both sides of the political spectrum, former staffers, and colleagues of Commissioner Copps. Although remarks ranged from tongue-in-cheek to heartwarming, the message was always the same: that Michael J. Copps’ passion for serving the public interest is unrivaled, and although he is missed at the FCC, his legacy lives on.

Multicultural Entrepreneur of the Week

John W. Rogers, Jr., is the founder, chairman, CEO, and chief investment officer of Ariel Investments, an investment capital firm that he started with $200,000 when he was just 24 years old. Today, the company is the largest African American-owned fund management company in the nation, with over $17.5 billion in assets under its management. Rogers interest in investing began at the age of 12, when his father started giving him stocks for his birthday and Christmas every year in lieu of toys. After graduating from college with a degree in economics, Rogers worked as a stockbroker at a regional investment banking firm for two and a half years before he founded Ariel Investments. In addition to his role at Ariel, Rogers is a financial contributor to Forbes magazine and is on the boards of Exelon Corporation and McDonald’s Corporation. Rogers has also held roles as chairman of the Economic Club of Chicago, director of the Chicago Urban League, and co-chair of the 2009 Presidential Inaugural Committee.

Digital Divider of the Week

With the advent of app-capable smartphones came popular applications that millions of fans downloaded to play on their phones. Angry Birds became a cult phenomenon, with each release getting millions of downloads across iPhone and Android platforms. Unfortunately, it was only a matter of time before cyber criminals figured out a way to capitalize on the apps’ popularity. When Rovio, the company that develops Angry Birds, recently released a new version called Angry Birds Space, a malware-infected version was not far behind. This version looks and functions exactly as the official Angry Birds app, except it installs malware onto users’ devices and makes them part of a widespread botnet, a collection of compromised computers or operating systems connected to the Internet. There are millions of underserved Americans – predominantly minorities and low-income households – whose only access to the Web is through their smartphones. Cyber attacks like this can leave them completely disconnected.

Career of the Week

Radio Frequency (RF) Engineer

RF Engineers set up, operate, and maintain the electronic equipment used to transmit radio and television programs. They are also responsible for the analysis, design, implementation, optimization and enhancement of wireless telecommunications networks.

$55,000 to $140,000

RF Engineers are found in all types of organizations across the country, from Federal and local government agencies to telecommunications companies.

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Electrical Engineering, or other related field. Masters in Physics/Computer Science/Management Information Systems for more Senior positions

Payscale

You can submit nominations for pick of the week click to nominate