Remarks by
FCC Commissioner Gloria Tristani
before the
National Puerto Rican Coalition

I am honored to be here today with so many leaders of the Puerto Rican / Latino community. And having been born and raised en La Isla del Encanto, it is a pleasure to celebrate with you as NPRC takes its mission to cyberspace. In the age of the Internet, the launch of the BateyLink website will enhance NPRC's effectiveness as the foremost Puerto Rican public policy advocacy organization.

I'd like to begin today by taking a quick look at Internet usage and growth:

Internet traffic is doubling every 100 days.

U.S. web pages average one billion hits per day.

The U.S. Postal Service delivered 101 billion pieces of paper mail in 1998. Estimates for email messages that year range from 618 billion to 4 trillion.

It took the Internet just 7 years to reach 30 percent of the U.S. population, while it took television 17 years and telephones 38 years.

In 1998, the U.S. Internet economy generated $300 billion in revenue and 1.2 million jobs.

These facts reflect what we all know: the Internet is changing the way we conduct business, the way we learn, and the way we communicate.

As many Americans prosper in the Internet Age, we need to ensure that all Americans have access to the information and tools necessary to have a meaningful opportunity to succeed. NPRC's website will facilitate information sharing, enhance community building, and strengthen Puerto Rican involvement in public policy.

And the roll-out of this website could not be at a better time as more and more Latinos are going on-line.

Just last week a new study showed that technology adoption among Hispanic households is growing substantially. According to the study, 42 percent of Hispanic households have a computer. In the past two years, Hispanic household computer penetration grew about 68 percent, a rate that far exceeds the 43 percent growth among the general population. Moreover, nearly 75 percent of Hispanic households have computer users. Many continue to gain computer access at work, in school, or at the library.

As Hispanics, our voice - nuestra voz -- is as strong today as ever. Indeed, American business is realizing that Hispanics are the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population. By 2010, Hispanics will be nearly 44 million strong, a 39 percent gain from today. And the digital economy offers opportunities that we could not have imagined just a few years ago.

This past January, Español.com, an online retailer for Spanish-speakers, released a survey on Hispanic online shoppers. The survey found that 61 percent of Hispanics online have made a purchase in the last year. Of those purchasers, 74 percent connect to the Internet daily.

And business recognizes the opportunity offered by the Hispanic demographics. Hispanic-oriented e-commerce is thriving. LatinGrocer.com, for example, is a Miami-based online vendor of Hispanic foods and products. There are at least six web portals aimed at Spanish-speaking Internet users. And as of last year, there were over 200 Hispanic-targeted websites.

Despite the promise of the Latino e-commerce market, real challenges remain for the Latino community. Nuestra voz must resonate not only in the e-commerce marketplace but in the realm of ideas and policymaking.

For more than 20 years, NPRC has brought together community leaders and organizations to address public policy and to create an awareness of Puerto Rican issues at the national level. NPRC has fostered the growth and empowerment of civic organizations, and has provided assistance and leadership development.

The BateyLink website will further these goals. It will allow NPRC to provide real-time, high quality public policy and advocacy information to its members and subscribers. Likewise, it will enhance the NPRC grassroots network. With links to policymakers' websites, members and subscribers will be able to contact their representatives instantly to register their views. And we face many public policy challenges, including education, income security, family support, civil rights - and communications.

As a commissioner at the FCC, I have worked to ensure that all Americans have access to communications. We cannot afford to be a society of information "haves" and "have-nots" in a world in which the ability to access and manipulate information is the currency of the day.

One of my top priorities has been to increase access to computers and the Internet through schools and public libraries, a program known as the e-rate. The e-rate provides discounts to schools and libraries for internal wiring, Internet connections and Internet service. The most disadvantaged schools and libraries, as well as those in rural areas, receive the highest discounts. Since November 1998, schools in Puerto Rico have benefited from nearly $115 million in e-rate funding. And I am proud that this year we will again be funding the e-rate at the cap of $2.25 billion.

Another issue that has been in the news lately involves the FCC's decision to authorize low power FM radio stations. We all know about the massive consolidation in the radio industry over the past years. We all know that smaller, community-based organizations find it is impossible to get access to the public airwaves. That's why low power radio is so important.

And the public response to low power radio has been enormous. We've heard from thousands of individuals, schools, churches, community groups and local government agencies who would like to use the public airwaves to serve their communities. We've also heard from countless individuals who would like to hear more varied voices over the public airwaves. Providing an outlet for new voices is why I am proud to support this new service.

In the past weeks, those who oppose the introduction of these new stations have conducted a scare campaign on Capitol Hill. We cannot allow misinformation to guide public policy. Based upon the engineering data in our record, I am convinced low power radio will not jeopardize the technical integrity of the FM band. It is my hope that the facts - and not misleading claims - will prevail and that Americans will benefit from low power radio. But even as I speak, the House of Representatives may be voting on a bill which will effectively eliminate low power. I urge you to contact your congressman if you believe more Americans should have an opportunity to be heard over the public airways.

Whenever I think about these issues, I think about mi abuelo, the late United States Senator Dennis Chavez, a Democrat who represented the State of New Mexico in Congress for 32 years. My grandfather was a tireless advocate for civil rights, fairness and decency. He also was known for his courage and willingness to speak out on unpopular subjects.

There is a statue of my grandfather in the Capitol building here in Washington, which I visit whenever I can. His statue has an inscription in English, Spanish, and Navajo. The Spanish portion reads "Dejo este Señor una vereda trazada que nunca se olvidara. Lo hizo con la esperanza que otros la sigan." -- "He left a mark that will never be forgotten in the hopes that others would follow." I am told the Navajo inscription on his statue means "We have lost our voice - our voice is gone forever."

I hope that his mark will guide us all. We need to make sure our voice - nuestra voz - is loud and clear and lives on. I commend NPRC for all of its work on matters of public policy, and I look forward to adding the website to my list of bookmarks. Thank you.