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From Inside Radio, 11/15/10:

A revival of the minority tax certificate still on Washingtons radar. For more than a decade

there have been calls in Washington to restore and expand the tax certificate policy that gave

financial breaks to station owners who sold their assets to a minority operator. Congress killed the

program in 1995 amid abuse. With a new Congress taking over in January, supporters are hoping the

change will help their efforts. FCC commissioner Robert McDowell has been speaking out in favor ofthe tax break program for several years. At a FCC event last week designed to help attract more

women and minorities into the communications industries, McDowell said much more can be to help

Congress understand the benefit of reinstituting the program. In January it will be two years since

the Minority Media and Telecommunications Council handed the incoming Obama administration its

recommendations to further boost minority ownership. On that list was the tax break program. So far

it hasnt gotten far but MMTC president David Honig remains optimistic. I hope the new Congress

will act on the tax certificate policy. There is a raceneutral version circulating on the Hill, and it has

generated broad bipartisan support, Honig says. Not waiting for Congress to act, the FCC is looking

at how it can help in the meantime. The Commission is currently considering a number of steps that

it might take to promote diversity and encourage new entrants into all facets of the communications

industry, McDowell says. But even he notes rulemakings can be slow to progress and recommends

women and minorities serious about breaking into the media and telecom industries pursue a more

traditional route with investors and banks. It is the private sector, of course, that really drivesinvestment and economic growth, McDowell says. It is the source of sustainable seed capital for all

the good ideas that entrepreneurs hope to bring to the marketplace.