Washington, DC - Today, Rep. Mike Honda (CA-15) made the statement below following yesterday's approval by the Federal Communications Commission of the merger between Comcast and NBC Universal:

"Last month, Comcast and NBC Universal made key commitments to invest in the Asian American and Pacific Islander community that would be triggered by the approval of this merger.  With the merger approved, I look forward to seeing the benefits of that MOU flow to our community. This is an important development in improving the representation of our community in national media.  For too long, Asian and Pacific Islander faces have been misrepresented on screen, despite the community's purchasing power of over $500 billion. The bar for the entire industry has now been raised with respect to corporate and executive diversity, investments in Asian American and Pacific Islander programming, and diversity in workforce and procurement."

On December 15, 2010, Comcast and NBC Universal signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with key Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) organizations. Comcast and NBC Universal promised critical investments in the AAPI community triggered by the merger between Comcast and NBC Universal.  

The MOU was negotiated between Comcast and NBC Universal and the Asian Pacific American Media Coalition, which includes the Asian American Justice Center (AAJC), East West Players (EWP), Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA) and Media Action Network for Asian Americans (MANAA).

The 16-page document details investments such as expanding distribution of Asian American owned-and-operated and targeted programming, as well as launching a new video on demand offering called Cinema Asian America as part of its standard digital package.  This package will ultimately be available to 18 million subscribers.  Comcast will also dedicate at least $1 million in investments over three years to strengthen a pipeline for AAPI themed programming, and also makes commitments to diversifying its procurement and workforce.

The MOU outlines a plan to identify AAPI candidates for future board openings, as well as designate a senior executive as an AAPI community liaison.  Comcast and NBC Universal will also establish an Asian American Advisory Council to be constituted of nine AAPI leaders.

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