Jacquelyn Puente

from 2021 USHCC Nation Conference Program Book

Aleida Rios

Greetings

Dear USHCC Members, Local Chamber Leaders, Sponsors and National Conference Attendees,

On Behalf of Comcast NBCUniversal Telemundo and Sky’s 200,00 global employees, I am honored to attend the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s 2021 National Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. The National Conference is an important convening for the Hispanic Business community, but after the last 18 months of a global pandemic, and the economic fall-out that has struck minority-owned businesses disproportionately hard, I’m grateful for this opportunity to convene and dialogue about how Hispanic business leaders will drive our economic recovry.

Over the next several days, you will hear from the best and brightest business owners, local Hispanic Chambers of Commerce, and Corporate Partners. Your presence and participation here at our National Conference – and online -- will not only contribute to more robust Hispanic economic development, but also to the restoration of the American economy as a whole.

I want to thank the Board Chair Alice Rodriquez and President Ramiro Cavazos for their leadership and steady hands during these trying times. I am proud to serve on the USHCC Board of Directors and grateful to be a part of a team dedicated to addressing the issues facing our community at a time of so much need. I’m struck by the unity and resilience that has been shown by the USHCC community throughout this crisis, as well as our collective resolve to continue fiercely advocating for a more equitable and prosperous future as we recover the economic impact of COVID-19.

At Comcast, we are committed to our partnership with the USHCC and have spent the last year learning from Hispanic business leaders to develop initiatives that address the unique impact that COVID-19 has had on the Hispanic business community. Below is a selection of Comcast NBCUniversal initiatives created in partnership with the USHCC to support Hispanic-owned businesses:

COMCAST RISE & NUESTROS NEGOCIOS – Comcast NBCUniversal launched Comcast RISE as part of our $100M Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiative to offer grants, marketing resources, and technology updates to help businesses become more resilient. At Comcast, we’re committed to enhancing businesses of all sizes to offer the technologyforward experiences their customers expect, enabling them to go beyond bouncing back to bouncing forward.

INTERNET ESSENTIALS – We know accessible and reliable Internet is more critical now than ever – and businesses understand that customers need internet service to access products and services across all sectors. In that vein, Comcast expanded Internet Essentials, the nation’s largest, most comprehensive, and successful Internet adoption program and increased internet speeds to 50/5 Mbps without raising prices from $9.95/month, the same it has been since 2011. Since the beginning of the pandemic, eligible IE customers receive 60 days of free service. Households qualify for IE if they are eligible for public assistance programs such as the National School Lunch Program, Housing Assistance, Medicaid, SNAP, SSI, and others. To learn more about how we’re bridging the digital divide, please visit www.InternetEssentials.com.

I am delighted to continue our work and to interact at this year’s hybrid conference, whether they be in-person or on screen.

Sincerely,

Jackie Puente

Executive Director, External Affairs Comcast Corporation