NBCUniversal said it is starting a new program to help diverse, small businesses with launch partners State Farm and ad agency Walton Isaacson.

“Open Doors: Where Small Businesses Thrive” is commencing during Hispanic Heritage Month and will key initially on Latino-focused businesses with ads on the NBCU platform running in Spanish and English.

The program is designed to bring big brand resources to smaller enterprises.

“As a small-business owner myself, I wanted to not only share resources with my fellow entrepreneurs, but also create an opportunity for big brands to deliver a return on impact for minority-owned small businesses who had been adversely impacted throughout the pandemic,” said Christine Escribano, senior VP, head of One Platform marketing, at NBCUniversal Advertising & Partnerships. “With the support from my colleagues on the NBCUniversal Empowerment & Inclusion Council and our launch partners, State Farm and Walton Isaacson, I am thrilled for Open Doors to take shape.”

The program features a virtual, bilingual visual marketing and creative services playbook that will arm small-business owners with strategic tools and resources, including detailed descriptions of brand positioning, as well as guidance on logo development, website-building strategies and how to use social media.

“Visual and audio creative content are essential to brand-building and also rebranding,” Walton Isaacson founder and CEO Aaron Walton said. “Key to capturing consumer attention, they are highly effective at building brand reputation and awareness. Yet start-ups and small businesses cannot always afford the investment to reap the recognition that big brand resources can. This initiative affords small businesses that opportunity and the tools and resources they need to build better businesses.”

The first ad spotlights family-owned Venezuelan restaurant Cachapas y Mas, located in New York City. In October, woman-owned Louisiana retail store Fluerty Girls will be featured in support of National Women’s Small Business Month.

“State Farm is excited to work with NBCUniversal and Walton Isaacson to spotlight how minority, small-owned businesses open doors for the entire community,” State Farm marketing VP Alyson Griffin said. “Every State Farm agency is independently-owned. Agents truly understand the unique needs of small business owners as they are business owners themselves, and they are invested in helping make their communities thrive.” ■

Fuse Media is giving free air time to the first group of businesses as part of its Buy Small initiative, which was announced in the spring as part of Fuse’s upfront presentation.

The first company to get Fuse’s promotion is Rizos Curls, a Latina-owned clean haircare brand. Spots for Rizos Curls will start airing Wednesday.

In December, spots will start to air for Ilia by Tatiana Ilia, which makes gender-neutral products, including bracelets, necklaces, earrings, rings and other accessories inspired by New York culture and the designer’s Haitian background.

Spots for Dosso Beauty will premiere in March. Dosso Beauty provides affordable gender-inclusive organic cosmetics, hair care, skin care and beauty supplies.

Also Read: Fuse Plus Streaming Service Launches with Original Series

In addition to commercial, the Buy Small program will feature programming stunts like Buy Small: Small Business Saturday in November and original programming featuring small businesses. Fuse will also promote small businesses on its social platforms.

“As a company that values empowerment and representation, it’s only fitting that small businesses are the focus of the first prosocial initiative we are rolling out since becoming a Latino-owned company less than a year ago,” said Fuse Media CEO Miguel “Mike” Roggero. “It’s a privilege to use the Fuse Media platform as a springboard so that other diverse business owners can also achieve their dreams.”

Charter Communications said Wednesday that its Spectrum Community Investment Loan Fund will invest $3 million in the Hope Enterprise Corporation (HOPE) to provide loans to local businesses that provide goods and services meeting the core needs of financially underserved areas in Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama. 

About $1 million of that investment is earmarked for Kentucky communities within Charter’s footprint.

“Spectrum is an important part of every community we serve, and we are invested in the continued success of those communities across our footprint,” Charter SVP David Ellen said in a press release. “Small business ownership and growth are fundamental to developing and sustaining economic strength and our support to local businesses will provide access to much-needed capital allowing them to thrive. We are excited to be partnering with HOPE and investing in these Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama communities.”

Charter said it is also providing a grant to support technical assistance for small business owners and other program costs. The investment is expected to be combined with additional capital from other sources and to lead to the creation of hundreds of new jobs in underserved communities throughout the three states.

“Small business is a vital source of jobs and services, particularly in low-income and minority communities,” HOPE CEO Bill Bynum said in a press release. “Unfortunately, too often, these communities and their residents lack access to traditional financial services.  Charter’s investment in HOPE represents a welcome step towards closing these long standing opportunity gaps.”

HOPE is a certified community development financial institution (CDFI) that helps more than 100,000 financially underserved people in the Deep South, providing access to affordable, financial products and services in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee.

Charter unveiled the investment at an event on Aug. 25 at the Norton Healthcare Sports and Learning Center in Louisville, where Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said the program will positively impact financially underserved communities by providing growth capital, creating new jobs and strengthening businesses.

“Investments in our people like the one Charter is making will help us ensure that everyone in Kentucky takes part in the amazing economic momentum we are seeing week after week,” Gov. Beshear said in a press release. “Hope is the right name for this investment, as these funds help support the financially underserved by providing new opportunities that can ignite and sustain strong economic growth.”

Charter launched the Spectrum Community Investment Loan Fund in 2020 and has committed more than $18 million to invest in CDFIs to support small and minority-owned businesses in eco­nomically underserved communities within the company’s 41 state footprint. In addition to the loans, each CDFI receives a grant to fund technical assistance programs and professional training for small businesses to help establish sound business practices necessary for long-term growth and continuity. Some of these grants have recently been earmarked to support businesses impacted by COVID-19.

Charter Communications said its Spectrum Community Investment Loan Fund will invest $1 million in a North Carolina non-profit that helps small businesses in the state.

The Carolina Small Business Development Fund (CSBDF) is a nonprofit certified community development financial institution that makes low-interest loans to small businesses in Charter’s North Carolina service area. The investment is the latest in Charter’s more than $22 million commitment to help small and minority-owned businesses within its 41-state footprint.        

“Charter is an important part of every community we serve and we are invested in the continued success of those communities across our footprint,” Jeff Buller, Charter’s vice president overseeing the Spectrum Loan Fund said in a press release. “Small business ownership and growth are fundamental to developing and sustaining the economic strength of our communities. Our investment in the Carolina Small Business Development Fund and in other CDFIs supports small businesses by providing access to much-needed low-interest capital.”

CSBDF works to foster economic development in underserved communities by providing access to capital, business services, training and policy research. CSBDF works in partnership with many organizations to support North Carolina small businesses and entrepreneurs.

“On behalf of the board and staff of CSBDF, it is a privilege, an honor and a tremendous opportunity to work with Charter Communications to deploy capital to businesses throughout its extensive North Carolina coverage area. To partner with a Fortune 500 company that has demonstrated its commitment to North Carolina with its innovative connectivity products and services is in strong alignment with CSBDF’s mission to drive economic development in North Carolina through service to small businesses,” said CSBDF president and CEO Kevin Dick in a press release. “This will be a strong for-profit and not-for-profit collaboration that will pay dividends for North Carolina’s small businesses and the cities and counties where they are located.”

To date, the Loan Fund represents about $18 million of the more than $22 million Charter has committed to support small and minority-owned enterprises. The Spectrum Community Investment Loan Fund invests through CDFIs in businesses in eco­nomically underserved communities and has previously made $1 million investments in New York, Texas, Missouri, California, Wisconsin, and Ohio, a $3 million commitment to the National Urban League’s Urban Empowerment Fund, and $3 million in low-interest loans directly to CDFIs in partnership with and as directed by the National Action Network. 

In addition to the loans, each CDFI receives a grant to fund technical assistance programs and professional training for small businesses to help establish sound business practices necessary for long-term growth and continuity. Some of these grants have recently been earmarked to support businesses impacted by COVID-19.

Charter Communications' Spectrum Business has formed a partnership with SCORE, the country's largest network of business mentors, to sponsor a series of free webinars for business owners and entrepreneurs beginning April 23.

The two-hour webinars are open to Spectrum Business customers and non-customers, are led by an expert from SCORE and focus on how to set up, run and grow a small business. The webinars will run through June 28. 

“Our goal is to help small businesses grow and thrive in the communities Spectrum services,” Jennifer Ingram, Charter VP for small and medium business, said in a press release. “For new business owners, these free workshops are the perfect opportunity to gain insights from SCORE experts with real-world experience about how to establish and run a successful small business, and for established owners to learn how to grow their existing businesses and boost overall productivity.”

Also Read: Charter Reaches $18 Per Hour Minimum Wage Milestone

Registration for the webinar series, including the Friday, April 23, session, “Why a Business Plan is Critical (and How to Create it),” is open here. Additional webinars will cover how to fund a new business, market a business on a shoestring budget, and how to price products and services effectively. 

The SCORE webinars are available at no cost through a sponsorship from Spectrum Business, and participants may sign up for as many webinars as they want.

“SCORE understands how challenging the past year has been for small business owners, and we are proud to partner with Spectrum Business to offer this valuable webinar series,” SCORE CEO Bridget Weston said in the press release. “Since our founding in 1964, SCORE has helped 11 million entrepreneurs to start, grow or troubleshoot a business. Our 10,000 volunteer mentors have firsthand business expertise that they are eager to share with other entrepreneurs. We are here to help small businesses succeed.”

Also Read: Charter Launches $5 Billion, Multi-Year Plan to Expand Broadband to 1 Million New Homes

The full schedule of webinars is:

· “Why a Business Plan is Critical (and How to Create it),” Friday, April 23, 2 p.m. ET.

· “Why You Shouldn’t Go It Alone: Legal, Accounting and Insurance for Your Business,” Monday, May 10, 2 p.m. ET.

· “Creative Marketing on a Shoestring Budget,” Monday, May 24, 2 p.m. ET.

· “Managing Funds and Funding in 2021,” Friday, June 11, 2 p.m. ET.

· “Panel Discussion: Navigating these Uncertain Times,” Friday, June 18, 2 p.m. ET.

· “Successful Small Business Pricing Strategies,” Monday, June 28, 2 p.m. ET.

Information about how to register is available here.

Comcast’s NBCUniversal unit said it joined the Stand for Small coalition and will be providing marketing and creative services to small and mid-sized businesses looking to reopen amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Comcast Business already provides productivity tools and insights to small businesses as part of Stand for Small and has promised to supports company’s owned by people of color impacted by the virus.

Other Stand for Small partners include Amazon, American Express, AT&T Business, Google, Spectrum Business, Twitter and Verizon.

“We also know that great advertising drives business results. But small business owners need more: more resources, more guidance, more support, and more access to marketing toolkits. This is particularly true for communities of color who are disproportionately experiencing the effects of the public health crisis,” said Christine Escribano, senior VP, portfolio creative partnerships, at NBCU.

NBCU said selected businesses will be able to access NBCU’s consultative, creative, production, technical and commerce expertise locally and nationally. It said it is encouraging minority-owned and operated businesses to apply.

It is also providing business and financial insights via a new information hub on the NBCU Platform. Those include tips from CNBC experts, inspirational success stories and best practices in finance.

“Even if you're not running a small business, we all know and love one that can benefit from the resources Stand for Small provides. Together, we can all create a path forward,” Escribano said.

Charter Communications said it will invest $10 million in a partnership with the National Urban League and the National Action Network to support Black and minority-owned businesses in underserved communities.

Charter’s Spectrum Community Investment Fund will invest $3 million in the National Urban League’s Urban Empowerment Fund, which will make individual loans to minority-owned small businesses. In addition, Charter will invest another $3 million in low-interest loans directly to community development investment funds (CDFIs), under the direction of the National Action Network.

Charter also will provide $3.5 million in PSA value to promote its partners’ Spectrum Community Investment Fund opportunities, and will contribute a $500,000 capacity grant to the National Urban League for revitalizing its CDFI platform including funding for staffing, infrastructure, and operations.

“In all communities, small business ownership and growth are fundamental to developing and sustaining economic power, which is critical to their long-term success,” Charter chairman and CEO Tom Rutledge said in a press release. “Building on our valued partnerships with the National Urban League and National Action Network, these investments will support small diverse-owned businesses through access to much-needed low-interest capital and help build thriving communities across the country.”

As the Urban League’s small business lending subsidiary, the Urban Empowerment Fund provides loans and coaching to minority-owned businesses that provide jobs and revenue to economically distressed areas and other underserved communities.

"Small Black-owned businesses, a primary economic driver in Black neighborhoods, are less likely to be approved for loans than their White-owned counterparts, and when they are approved, they receive smaller amounts and at higher interest rates,” said National Urban League CEO Marc H. Morial in a press release. “As we face the most daunting economic landscape since the Great Depression, committed and enlightened partners like Charter are more valued than ever before. Charter is helping the National Urban League build stronger and more stable communities that create opportunity for prosperity."

Charter launched the Loan Fund in February, committing to invest an initial $10 million in capital by the end of 2021 by making low-interest loans through CDFIs to small businesses whose goods and services help meet core needs in underserved communities within Charter’s 41-state operating footprint. With the addition of the investment partnerships with the Urban League and NAN, Charter’s Loan Fund commitment has increased to $13 million, and the Urban Empowerment Fund investment represents the fourth made by the Loan Fund in the past four months. Charter previously announced $1 million investments in Pursuit Community Finance in New York, PeopleFund in Texas, and the Economic and Community Development Institute (ECDI) in Ohio. Over the next year, the Loan Fund expects to invest an additional $4 million across CDFIs in California, Florida, North Carolina and Wisconsin, in addition to the $3 million into CDFIs as directed by NAN.

In addition to the loans, each CDFI receives a grant to fund technical assistance programs and professional training for small businesses. These grants have recently been made to provide support to businesses impacted by COVID-19.

“In order to achieve the economic equality we want to see, we need to support our Black businesses and our Black entrepreneurs,” said NAN founder Reverend Al Sharpton in a press release. “For too long, our talented Black communities have been deprived of low interest loans, capital and a myriad of resources to help Black businesses thrive and prosper, a reality that has lasted decades inhibiting us from playing and competing in a level playing field. This partnership is one more step to address the systemic scarcity in our communities and to underscore much needed investment to turn the tide of inequity.”

News of the investment comes on the same day that Comcast settled a $20 billion lawsuit brought by Entertainment Studios chairman and CEO Byron Allen and the National Association of African American Owned Media in 2015, claiming Comcast conspired to keep African American owned networks off its systems. Allen has a similar active $10 billion suit against Charter, filed in 2016, that claims carriage discrimination.   

Charter Communications said its Spectrum Community Investment Loan Fund has made a $1 million investment in the Economic and Community Development Institute, an Ohio community development lender aimed at helping small businesses.

In addition, Charter said Jeff Buller, the Charter executive overseeing the Spectrum Loan Fund, has been named to ECDI’s board of directors.

“Charter is investing in the communities in which our customers and employees live and work, and we are excited to be partnering with ECDI in Ohio,” Buller said in a press release. “In order to provide a complete funding package to ECDI, Charter is investing capital that will become small business loans, as well as providing grants that will be used to provide assistance to and training for small business owners. I look forward to serving on the ECDI Board and being part of the great work it is doing to support small businesses in Ohio.”

Charter launched the Spectrum Loan Fund in February, pledging to invest $10 million in capital by the end of 2021 by making loans of up to $1 million to community development investment funds (CDFIs) in its footprint.

“We are grateful for our partnership with Charter and its investment in Ohio’s small businesses,” said Inna Kinney, ECDI founder and CEO in a press release. “It will enable us to provide much-needed capital, incubation services and technical assistance to the businesses that need it most, as they deal with an altered environment in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Charter’s investment helps us sustain underserved communities’ access to jobs and demonstrates both ECDI’s and Charter Communications’ commitment to supporting local economies.”

This is the third investment the Spectrum Loan Fund has made in the past three months.

Charter previously announced $1 million investments in Pursuit Community Finance in New York and PeopleFund in Texas. Over the next year, the Spectrum Loan Fund expects to invest an additional $4 million across CDFIs in California, Florida, North Carolina and Wisconsin.

Charter has said it hopes its $10 million commitment will serve as an anchor investment that will lead to additional third party commitments for the small business community. The company said its investments in New York, Texas and Ohio are expected to be combined with an additional $12 million in total capital from other sources and to lead to the creation of hundreds of new jobs in underserved communities throughout those states.

Altice USA said it has created a $10 million Community Relief Program aimed at supporting the recovery efforts of its small and medium-sized business customers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Altice USA, the program will provide financial assistance and resources to customers facing financial pressure allowing them to recover and resume normal business operations.

A separate program to support Feeding America and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America has also been established by the company. Altice USA CEO Dexter Goei pledged 35% of his salary for the remainder of 2020 to support the effort. In addition, president of telecommunications and chief operating officer Hakim Boubazine, chief financial officer Michael Grau, and president of news and advertising Jon Steinberg pledged 25% of their salaries for the remainder of the year, while a number of other executives have also made donation pledges.

“We have the privilege of serving thousands of local small businesses and communities and that is a responsibility we take very seriously, especially during times like these,” Goei said in a press release. “Small businesses are the heartbeat of our communities and while we play an important role in delivering to them essential telecommunications services, we also recognize they will need further assistance as restrictions ease and they eventually return to normal. Our hope is that our programs and charitable contributions will help provide that support and assistance to our communities as we get through this difficult time together.”

Altice will be reaching out to small business customers directly in the coming weeks to provide these resources.The company, through its Optimum, News 12 and a4 brands also has been raising awareness of local businesses that are still operating through a “We Are Open” campaign on its News 12 station.

Along with other cable operators, Altice USA has stepped up its efforts to help customers battle the pandemic by joining the “Keep Americans Connected” Pledge; offering its Altice Advantage broadband service for free to homes without broadband and with K-12 and/or college students until the end of the school year. 

In addition, Altice USA has partnered with school districts in its Optimum service area to offer its Student WiFi product for no cost through the end of June and so far has connected more than 240,000 student devices to its hotspot network. 

Altice US also has opened its emergency WiFi outdoor hotspots for public use and has provided free airtime for public service announcements to health, community and government officials to educate customers; and has collaborated with large hospital systems, schools and government agencies to ensure they have the connectivity services they need.

AT&T and Verizon are among the charter members of a new Stand for Small Business coalition launched by American Express. 

The companies are pledging to provide "meaningful support" to small businesses trying to navigate the shuttered world of COVID-19. 

The coalition says it will give millions of those small businesses tools, expertise, services and more to help them reduce operating expenses, manage a remote workforce and boost their digital capabilities and profile. 

The idea is to provide a centralized platform for much of the help already being provided. 

Other coalition members include some of the biggest Big Tech: Facebook, Google, Dell, and Microsoft.

Tech association ITI said tech startups should not be precluded from the Paycheck Protection Program COVID-19 aid Congress is handing out just because they are funded by larger entities. 

Related: Local Media Seek Billions in COVID-19 Aid

That came in a blog post by Shannon Taylor, ITI VP of government affairs. 

Taylor said the affiliate rules need to be clarified.  

"Startups are small businesses, and they often receive critical seed money or equity investment from larger firms," Taylor wrote. "As a result of the affiliation rules, the headcount of these small businesses is bloated by the headcount of the larger firms, disqualifying them from eligibility for the PPP." 

Related: Complete Coverage of the Coronavirus Pandemic

She said that while venture capital is crucial, it is not an "endless spigot." 

Taylor argued they face the same existential threat from the virus as other small businesses.   

Individual TV stations, radio stations and newspapers have also asked that the affiliation rules not exclude thousands of them just because they are part of a larger media group. 

Charter Communications said Thursday that it has teamed with investment banks to create the Spectrum Community Investment Loan Fund, focused on making loans through community development financial institutions (CDFIs) to small businesses that help meet core needs in underserved communities within its 41-state footprint.

The fund will invest $10 million in capital by the end of 2021 and will make loans of up to $1 million to each CDFI. In addition, Charter said it will provide each CDFI with a separate additional grant for extra training and The Loan Fund will invest $10 million in capital by the end of 2021, making loans up to $1 million to technical expertise.

Charter has engaged Cabrera Capital Markets, a diverse-owned investment bank based in Chicago, to spearhead the due diligence process on the Loan Fund’s first three CDFI investments. Cabrera Capital Markets has partnered with the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), one of the nation’s largest CDFIs, to supplement its CDFI underwriting capabilities.

Siebert Williams Shank & Co. and CastleOak Securities, L.P., two other diverse-owned investment banks, will provide due diligence support and related advisory services on its future CDFI investments.

“Charter is committed to having a meaningful impact in the communities where our customers and employees live and work, and the Loan Fund is the latest Spectrum Community Impact program designed to do just that,” Charter chairman and CEO Tom Rutledge said in a press release. “Through these investments in local small businesses, Charter will positively impact financially underserved communities by providing growth capital, creating new jobs and strengthening businesses.”

During the first half of 2020, the Spectrum Community Investment Loan Fund will invest $1 million in Pursuit Community Finance (formerly known as the Excelsior Growth Fund) in New York, and $1 million in PeopleFund, a CDFI based in Texas. The Loan Fund also expects to invest $1 million in an Ohio-based CDFI later this year. By the end of the first quarter in 2021, the Loan Fund program plans to invest an additional $4 million, collectively, in selected CDFIs in California, Florida, North Carolina and Wisconsin. The initial $7 million investments will be in states comprising 70% of Charter’s more than 29 million customers.

“Pursuit welcomes the Charter investment, which will help catalyze responsible lending to neighborhood small businesses in communities throughout New York State,” said Pursuit Community Finance president Steve Cohen in a press release. “It is noteworthy to have a public company express a commitment to community lending alongside our more typical bank investors.”

Charter said it hopes its $10 million commitment will serve as an anchor investment that will lead to additional third party commitments for the small business community. The cable operator said its $3 million phase one investment in New York, Texas and Ohio is expected to be combined with more than $12 million in total capital from other sources and lead to the creation of hundreds of new jobs in underserved communities throughout those states.

“It is a true honor for PeopleFund being selected by Charter to be part of this initiative and we applaud their commitment in support of CDFIs to help our most vulnerable communities,” said Gustavo Lasala, president and CEO of PeopleFund. “Each dollar that Charter invests in a CDFI has a multiplier effect. We will leverage each dollar from Charter with four dollars from other sources for a grand total of $5 million to be invested in small businesses throughout Texas. This will have an enormous positive economic impact in the communities where these businesses operate by creating hundreds of jobs and helping hundreds of families achieve financial stability and independence.”

U.S. local advertising revenue is projected to reach nearly $150 billion in 2017, estimates BIA/Kelsey.  

With exciting opportunities opening up at a dizzying pace, local small-and-medium businesses (SMBs) around the country may be uncertain how best to maximize their local advertising. This presents an enormous opportunity for local TV cable operators (aka multichannel video programming distributors, or MVPDs).

Here are basic tips for any MVPD mounting a serious program to target new local SMB advertising clients:

1. Target the Right Audience: Most successful advertisers have a fairly strong sense of who they want to reach. But are your local SMBs aware of the latest tools available to reach customer prospects and cable TV’s emerging ability to help them reach specific demographic, psychographic and “behavior-graphic” audiences for their marketing message?

2. Know Your Competition: Local advertisers are, of course, best served when there is a robust complement of cable operators from which to select in a market. Your rivals may be competing based on cost or reach, but has their own “pitch” changed substantively in recent years? With the rise of data-driven capabilities fueling cable’s special combination of the power of big-screen branding and targeted messaging, MVPDs may have a fresher message and some are better than others

3. Use Your Digital Offerings to Complement a Client’s TV Campaign: Practically every study we’ve seen about crossplatform video campaigns reveals this: Marketers feel that investing in multiple media outlets enhances the effectiveness of their advertising. While digital-only advertising, for example, represents about 11% of our company’s total revenue, today we are seeing more than 70% of our clients using online advertising (and about 50% of them using mobile) as a complement to local TV ad buys. If you have an online and/or a mobile component to offer as part of your package, all the better; if this is not a strength for you, consider partnerships to round out your package.

4. Explain Digital’s Limitations: Digital advertising’s strengths include geo-fencing, retargeting, reaching a highly engaged audience and the ability to measure return on investment (ROI). But digital’s limitations — including click fraud, viewability issues, ad-blocker technology, imperfect targeting algorithms and juxtaposition with inappropriate or offensive content — all should underscore why marketers should not choose digital advertising in isolation.

5. Advise Caution with Social Media: Not only can SMBs not control their treatment — and even their message — on social platforms, but it’s become a regular occurrence for Facebook to reveal that it has overstated its metrics, for example, by a whopping 60 to 80% on time spent viewing videos! Similarly, social media has been plagued with well-documented issues of ad juxtaposition, with marketers’ messages appearing alongside undesirable postings. Advertising accountability should be a key component in differentiating digital and social media from the more reliable platform of local cable.

6. Your Prospect May Not Realize There’s Gold in Their Data: Do SMBs in your market understand that their own customer data file — however large or small — is a critical asset in building an effective ad campaign?

They may be surprised to learn their purchase and profile data can be matched with cable’s viewing data to better target the right customer.

With all the scrutiny of the shortcomings of digital and social media, and with the growing capabilities of data-driven cable targeting, we’re at a time when MVPDs of all sizes should be poised to go after those larger slices of the ad pie they richly deserve.

Mark Lieberman is CEO of Viamedia, a Lexington, Ky.-based cable TV advertising management firm.

The Senate Commerce Committee has scheduled a June 15 markup for the Small Business Broadband Deployment Act of 2015, a version of a House bill exempting smaller broadband providers from the enhanced transparency requirements of the FCC's open internet rules, though it would exempt more companies than the House version.

The bill, a version of which passed the House unanimously in March, extends the FCC's exemption of smaller ISPs from the enhanced transparency rules under its new Open Internet Order.

But unlike the House version of the bill, which defined small businesses as ISPs with not more than 250,000 subs (itself a change from the FCC's proposed definition of not more than 100,000), the Senate bill defines small business as not more than 500,000 subs (or 1,500 employees. The house bill also has a five-year sunset, but the Senate bill has no such sunset.

The House version that initially passed out of the Communications Subcommittee also defined small businesses as 500,000 subs or fewer and included a 1,500-employees-and-below figure as a trigger for the exemption. Smaller cable operators and Republicans backed that version, which passed out of the subcommittee, but without bipartisan support.

The final version, with the 250,000-subs trigger -- and a five-year sunset - -was a compromise between that and a Democratic proposal that would have set the cut-off at 100,000, and another amendment, never offered, with a 200,000-sub cut-off.

So, unless the Senate version gets the same compromise treatment, the House would have to re-vote any changes.