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Mobile Driver’s License Standard Approved and Published

GET Group North America

The eagerly anticipated ISO/IEC 18013-5 International standard for Mobile Driver’s License (mDL) and Mobile IDs (mID) was unanimously approved for publication on August 18, 2021 and is now available at https://www.iso.org/standard/69084.html. Publication clears the way for global ID and Driver’s License Issuers to confidently deploy mDL solutions, and for Verifiers around the world to implement or adopt mDL readers. Businesses, Federal and State Agencies, and other public entities verify government-issued ID documents to quickly approve transactions every day. mDL gives the holder control of their ID data on their mobile device, while allowing acceptance via a tap or scan. This global mDL standard was the result of over six years of effort through an open collaboration of Issuers, Technology Providers, Regional Authorities (such as AAMVA, EReg, AustRoads, and the African Tripartite), and businesses that accept identity documents to approve transactions. Quarterly meetings were held on every continent during these years to ensure inclusivity and transitioned to fully virtual for 2020 and 2021. ISO/IEC 18013-5 for Mobile IDs and Mobile Driver’s Licenses overcomes the insecurity of showing a card on a phone screen and offers a host of benefits for Cardholders and the Verifiers who accept ID cards and Driver’s Licenses: A comprehensive global standard for sharing identity document information, matured during several test events held on nearly every continent during the last two years. Multiple Ways to Interact. A secure device-to-device protocol for sharing identity information that supports multiple transmission technologies, so that mDL Holders can tap or allow a scan to share their information and Verifiers can accept mDLs quickly according to their customer flows. Increased privacy for mDL users than physical cards: Share Only Relevant Data. Support for data minimization (e.g., to share only the fact that one is older than 21 rather than one’s full date of birth) built into the standard. Consent to Share. Controls that allow the mDL holder to release only some of the data elements requested by a relying party and only after explicit consent. Phone Stays in Your Control. The phone never leaves your hand, unlike ID cards. Know when Your Data is Stored. Explicit notification to an mDL holder if a Verifier intends to retain their information. Verifiers can avoid the liability of retaining data. Resistant to Tracking. There is no unique identifier to see where you’ve used your mDL. Difficult to forge. Stored and shared documents are cryptographically protected against counterfeit, adding resistance to the creation of fake IDs. Verifiers can easily check authenticity. Works when devices do not have connection. When either the mDL device or the Verifier device does NOT have a network connection, data can be shared between devices (offline). Provides privacy best practices for Issuing Authorities and Verifiers in the accompanying Privacy Annex with requirements for maximizing mDL Holder privacy. Chrissy Nizer, Chair of the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators Board of Directors said, “This standard will provide the necessary components to support mDL security and interoperability across the globe while ensuring the privacy and safety of the mDL holder.” “TSA considers ISO standards for personal identification documents to be a cornerstone for greater security and privacy,” said TSA Administrator David Pekoske. “The new standard for mobile driver’s licenses represents a significant step forward and will eventually help ensure a more touchless and efficient airport screening experience for all travelers.” “ Austroads would like to commend the International Standards working group for ISO 18013/5 Mobile Driver Licence. This standard was developed through strong partnership with global industry leaders in identity as well as global issuing authorities of credentials. This standard will create the foundation for not just digital driver’s licences to be trusted and accepted across state and national borders but enables the underlying identity to be used securely by citizens of participating jurisdictions to seamlessly access products and service across business, industry and government entities.” Servi Beckers, Chairman of the Association of European Vehicle and Driver Registration authorities (EReg) said, “this standard is a good example of industry and public administration cooperating to enhance our citizens lives. It places the driving licences in our modern times where we are already used to use our mobile phones for almost anything. The great advantages I see from a citizen’s perspective are: better privacy protection, up to date driver capabilities (and thus room for tailored solutions), easier travelling (worldwide standard), and room for innovative ideas in digital services where driving licences are used.” About GET Group North America GET Group North America provides the Mobile Driver’s License for the State of Utah and is a leading contributor to ISO/IEC 18013-5 Personal identification — ISO-compliant driving license — Part 5: Mobile driving license (mDL) application. GET Mobile ID has implemented all interaction modes available in this International mDL Standard and meets all privacy requirements in Annex E: Privacy and security. GET Mobile Verify is an application for iOS and Android that reads and verifies all compliant mDLs and mIDs. Contact Details Jordan Bouclin +1 401-490-9700 jordan.bouclin@svmpr.com Company Website https://getgroupna.com/

October 06, 2021 10:30 AM Eastern Daylight Time

ADDING MULTIMEDIA: FINE HYGIENIC HOLDING ENTERS THE METAVERSE WITH LAUNCH OF FINE ICONIC PACK NFT

Fine Hygienic Holding

Fine Hygienic Holding (FHH), the leading wellness group and manufacturer of reusable protective masks and hygienic paper products, has created its first ever NFT (Non-Fungible Token) collectible, an animated digital art piece has gone live for open auction on OpenSea, the marketplace for rare digital items and crypto collectibles, from September 26 until October 14. The Fine Iconic Pack collectible, which will be available to the highest bidder, will include a 17-second digital animated file of the iconic brand plus a physical gold-plated Fine Facial Tissue holder as unlockable content. The digital animated file showcases the transformation of the iconic Fine branding, a much-loved logo familiar to households across the region for over 60 years. FHH CEO James Michael Lafferty said: “Fine Hygienic Holding is a brand of the future, we are not afraid to embrace change as customers will already know through our move into reusable Fine Guard face masks, and other products including hand sanitizers and wipes which incorporate innovative technology. “The launch of the NFT underlines our credentials as a brand of the future. We are confident that there are many potential buyers out there in the region who would be interested in a digital collectible that evokes a sense of nostalgia and heritage, while also showcasing the progress and growth of the business and the virtual world.” The sole owner of the NFT will be granted a royalty-free license to use, copy and display the NFT for personal, non-commercial use, as well as the right to resale the NFT as a digital file. For more information on FHH's NFT auction, visit: https://opensea.io/assets/0x495f947276749ce646f68ac8c248420045cb7b5e/44489654802199576746768233299675622972679876205981352264859019804128938295297/ About Fine Hygienic Holding: Fine Hygienic Holding (FHH), one of the world’s leading wellness groups and the MENA’s leading manufacturer of hygienic products, serves consumers in more than 80 countries around the world. Originally established as a paper manufacturer, FHH has transformed into a wellness company dedicated to enhancing global health and wellbeing. With its commitment to becoming “the shining star of the Arab FMCG business world,” the Group focuses on wellness, sustainability, state-of-the-art production processes, pioneering CSR programs, and award-winning products. The company offers a diverse array of products including sterilized facial tissues, napkins, kitchen towels, toilet paper, baby diapers, adult briefs, jumbo rolls, as well as away-from-home products to accommodate all types of private and public institutions, in addition to innovative personal protective equipment (PPE), long lasting germ protection solutions and natural nutritional supplements. Contact Details Salma Khalifa +971 55 554 1994 salma.k@actionprgroup.com Company Website https://www.finehh.com/

October 06, 2021 07:22 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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National Poll Shows Public Trust in Big Tech is Falling Fast

Public Affairs Council

A new Public Affairs Council/Morning Consult poll finds the pharmaceutical industry has remained the least-trusted sector in American business — despite supplying life-saving COVID-19 vaccines for hundreds of millions of people. It has now ranked last of nine sectors for five straight years. But the sector with the sharpest drop in trust over the past five years is the technology industry, which has seen its trust ranking slip from first place to sixth place. The annual Public Affairs Pulse survey of 2,199 adults, conducted Sept. 2-6, 2021, explores the intersection of business, government and society. In addition to the trust deficit, this year’s poll examines racism in America, reliable sources of political news, the most highly valued democratic principles, and who should take the lead on vaccine mandates. Business sector trust rankings Technology, considered the most trustworthy sector in the U.S. as recently as 2017, has dropped to sixth place out of nine industries rated. Thirty-two percent (32%) now consider the tech sector to be less trustworthy than other industries. Forty-six percent (46%) of the public say pharmaceutical companies are less trustworthy than other major companies. Only 13% believe they are more trustworthy. The pharmaceutical sector is also considered the most under-regulated industry, with 40% saying it has too little regulation. The health insurance industry is the next lowest-ranking sector, with 41% calling it less trustworthy than other industries. It is right behind pharmaceuticals on the list of the most under-regulated sectors. The public has the most trust in the Food & Beverage sector with just 14% saying it is less trustworthy than other industries and 21% saying it is more trustworthy. “These low-trust rankings remind me of the old saying, ‘No good deed goes unpunished,’” said Public Affairs Council President Doug Pinkham. “Despite the efforts of the pharmaceutical and health insurance industries to protect the public from the pandemic, and though their scores did improve over last year, deep-rooted distrust is slow to change.” Are Democrats becoming more pro-business? While 51% of Democrats trust political information they receive from major companies, only 44% of Republicans trust political information from Corporate America. When it comes to promoting COVID-19 vaccinations, 78% of Democrats support corporate efforts but only 42% of Republicans support such efforts. While 65% of Democrats approve when the business community speaks out against racism, only 28% of Republicans favor those actions. Racism is getting worse, and companies aren’t making a major impact Despite growing support for Black Lives Matter and changes in corporate diversity practices, 40% of Americans believe the U.S. is becoming more racist. Only 13% think it is becoming less racist. Seventy-one percent (71%) of Americans consider racism a somewhat or very serious problem. Only 8% believe racism is not at all serious. While Democrats are more likely to be pessimistic about racism, more than twice as many Republicans (33%) believe racism is getting worse than believe it is getting better (15%). Just 22% of the public say major companies are playing a positive role in reducing racism (down from 28% last year), and 18% say they are playing a negative role (up from 14%). Strong majority of Americans support free and fair elections When asked about the value of actions to promote democratic rights, Americans give the highest ratings to support of free and fair elections (74%) and freedom of speech (72%). Just 59% believe protecting freedom of the press is very important to the country. The strongest support for freedom of the press comes from Americans aged 65 and older. Among 18-34-year-olds, however, only 50% consider protecting freedom of the press to be very important. Just 26% of Americans say Congress is doing a good or excellent job of supporting democracy compared to 41% who say the same about President Biden. People trust “friends and family” for political news For 73% of the public, friends and family are the most trusted source of political news. The next most trusted sources are trade and professional associations (44%) and businesses (43%). Only 41% trust the news media for political information, and more than half of Americans (52%) have “not too much” or no trust in political information coming from the news media. While 66% of Democrats trust the news media, only 26% of Independents and 23% of Republicans do so. Other notable findings A slim majority of Americans say vaccines should be mandated at the federal (36%) or state level (16%). More than one in three people (36%) oppose mandates at either level. Significantly more Republicans (57%) than Democrats (15%) or Independents (42%) oppose mandatory vaccinations. When it comes to financing political campaigns, 71% find self-funded campaigns acceptable, 68% approve of contributions from individual citizens and 53% approve of PAC contributions. Further down the list of choices are super PACs (39%) and using federal tax dollars (34%). Visit our website to view the full Public Affairs Pulse survey results: pac.org/pulse About the Public Affairs Council Both nonpartisan and nonpolitical, the Public Affairs Council is the leading global association for public affairs professionals. The Council’s mission is to advance the field of public affairs and to provide its 700 member companies, nonprofits and universities with the executive education and expertise they need while maintaining the highest ethical standards. Learn more at pac.org. Contact Details Curley Company for the Public Affairs Council Lydia Niles +1 773-677-5327 lydia@curleycompany.com Company Website https://pac.org/

October 05, 2021 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Facebook and Disney execs raise $4.5m for 100ms to build live video infrastructure for the world

100ms

Live video infrastructure platform 100ms has announced a $4.5M seed round of funding led by Accel with participation from Strive.vc. 100ms provides infrastructure that allows any company to add Zoom-style video conferencing inside their app within hours. It was founded by the team that built live video infrastructure powering billions of video minutes a day at Facebook and Disney. In the pandemic, people’s lives moved to Zoom for studying, consulting doctors, meetings, even hanging out. However, users’ experience remained broken as consumers had to juggle between different apps and Zoom. As a result developers rushed to try and add live video inside their apps to provide a seamless user experience. However, adding live video to apps with current developer platforms is a long, cumbersome and expensive process. Current developer platforms that enable live video take months to integrate. And video still doesn’t work at Zoom-quality. Kshitij Gupta, Aniket Behera and Sarvesh Dwivedi solved these problems while building some of the world’s largest live video infrastructure deployments at Facebook and Disney. They launched 100ms in October 2020 with a view to democratise access to live video infrastructure for everyone. Having operated in beta for a long period, they launched powerful but fully customizable software development kits (SDKs) that allow developers to add Zoom-quality video to their apps in hours, instead of months. 100ms has quickly signed up clients like Paytm Insider, BookMyShow Townscript, Circle among others and were voted #1 product of the day on producthunt. “Being a video engineer all my life, I understand the complexity of adding live video at scale. For a long time, this infrastructure has only been available to very few developers. We started 100ms to build live video infrastructure for the world. Our SDKs are supported on all platforms including ios/android/web and are equipped to build high quality video along with all the edge cases in just a few lines of code. Our infrastructure is designed to handle the scale and offers super low latency across the world," commented Kshitij, co- founder and CEO, 100ms. The market for live audio/video infrastructure services is forecast to grow from $4.2B in 2019 to $17.7B in 2024. The rapid growth is being driven by enterprises across industries who are unbundling Zoom - edtech, telehealth, retail, gaming, fitness, social networks, virtual events. Audio rooms - which is all the rage after clubhouse, didn’t exist as a category before the pandemic. Aniket, co-founder and COO added: “Zoom is getting unbundled. Huge markets are being unlocked which are now leveraging white labelled video/audio - edtech, telehealth, gaming retail, fitness, audio rooms among others. 100ms aims to be the infrastructure layer for all these industries.” The funds raised will be used to build the world’s best video engineering team and product enhancement creating 100s of templates of live use cases, simplifying video access for companies across the world. On leading the investment round Abhinav Chaturvedi, Partner at Accel, said, “We believe all apps in the future will have video and audio embedded in them. 100ms is the best team to create the best in class developer product to enable this.” "An open extendable platform, built by experts in audio/video streaming, and supported by a budding engaged community instantly convinced us that the 100ms team is building a global-leading dev infra company,”said, Nikhil Kapur, Partner at STRIVE.vc who also participated in the investment round. About 100ms 100ms provides infrastructure that allows any company to add Zoom-style video conferencing inside their app in hours. The founding team built live video infrastructure powering billions of minutes a day at Facebook and Disney. About Accel Accel is a global venture capital firm that is the first partner to exceptional teams everywhere, from inception through all phases of private company growth. Accel has been operating in India since 2008, and its investments include companies like BookMyShow, Browserstack, Flipkart, Freshworks, FalconX, Chargebee, Clevertap, Cure Fit, Musigma, Moneyview, Myntra, Moglix, Ninjacart, Swiggy, Stanza Living, Urban Company, Zetwerk, and Zenoti, among many others. We help ambitious entrepreneurs build iconic global businesses. For more, visit www.accel.com or https://twitter.com/Accel_India. About Strive.vc STRIVE is a B2B/SaaS-focused fund with over 80 investments across India, Southeast Asia, and Japan, and managing over $200M in AUM. The firm has invested in several dev infra and SaaS companies in India including Hasura, Testsigma, and Classplus. Contact Details 100ms Bilal Mahmood +44 7714 007257 b.mahmood@stockwoodstrategy.com

October 05, 2021 08:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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CSG Accelerates Growth, Expands Career Opportunities and Community Partnerships Across India with Flexible, Employee-Centered Work Philosophy

CSG

CSG (NASDAQ: CSGS) today announced the continued growth of its workforce in Bangalore, India, the largest office across the more than 20 countries where the company operates. CSG’s India technology centers of excellence, employ over 1,500 world class technologists, of which 500 were hired in the last year. The company continues to significantly invest and grow in India with up to 500 new hires to come in the next 18 months. Today, the office serves as a primary center for CSG product development, technology innovation and research. “At CSG, we create career opportunities where every day our employees can pursue their passions, show up as their true selves, and deliver unmatched value and results for our customers," said Sudhansu Panigrahi, head of India operations at CSG. "To unlock the full potential of our people, we’ve cultivated a culture that values authenticity and encourages every employee to dream big, fail fast, and constantly evolve. CSG is committed to delivering game-changing technologies that lead to extraordinary outcomes for our customers, and our growing team across India is at the heart of driving our innovation." CSG is reimagining what today’s workplace is like and how it should be, for both current employees and new hires. The company’s workplace of the future philosophy supports work-life integration and employees' diverse needs, providing flexibility and personal choice so employees can do their best work from anywhere in India. Today, CSG employees can work from their home offices, one of the CSG offices or a mix of both, letting them flourish in a workspace most conducive to their productivity and supporting each employee’s needs. Additionally, the company continues to emphasize and promote personal wellness and well-being by providing the resources and means to enable worldwide collaboration and personal connection across its over 5,000 employees. CSG’s commitment to inspire and deliver impact extends beyond its corporate walls and into the communities where its people live and work. In India, CSG works with the Udayan Shalini Fellowship Program (USF) and Prerana Nurturing Merit, two local non-governmental organizations (NGOs), to empower women through higher education, mentoring, training and employability. CSG’s focus on gender diversity and equitable gender representation in the workplace, has led to over 40% of new hires and 36% of the total CSG India employee base being women. CSG plans to engage with additional NGOs and expand its community partnerships in the future. CSG employees are also encouraged and supported with volunteer paid time off to give back to their communities in ways that are meaningful and impactful to each individual. To learn more about careers at CSG and our company culture, visit CSG careers. About CSG CSG is a leader in innovative customer engagement, revenue management and payments solutions that make ordinary customer experiences extraordinary. Our cloud-first architecture and customer-obsessed mindset help companies around the world launch new digital services, expand into new markets, and create dynamic experiences that capture new customers and build brand loyalty. For nearly 40 years, CSG’s technologies and people have helped some of the world’s most recognizable brands solve their toughest business challenges and evolve to meet the demands of today’s digital economy with future-ready solutions that drive exceptional customer experiences. With 5,000 employees in over 20 countries, CSG is the trusted technology provider for leading global brands in telecommunications, retail, financial services and healthcare. Our solutions deliver real world outcomes to more than 900 customers in over 120 countries. To learn more, visit us at csgi.com and connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter. Copyright © 2021 CSG Systems International, Inc. and/or its affiliates (“CSG”). All rights reserved. CSG® is a registered trademark of CSG Systems International, Inc. All third-party trademarks, service marks, and/or product names which are referenced in this document are the property of their respective owners, and all rights therein are reserved. CSG Contacts Jordy Spitale Public Relations 1 (504) 615-8820 Jordy.spitale@csgi.com John Rea Investor Relations +1 (210) 687-4409 john.rea@csgi.com Contact Details Tammy Hovey +1 917-520-2751 tammy.hovey@csgi.com Company Website https://www.csgi.com

October 04, 2021 08:00 PM Mountain Daylight Time

OPPO launches ColorOS 12 based on Android 12

OPPO

SHENZHEN, CHINA - Media OutReach - 5 October 2021 - Following Google release of Android 12, OPPO just released its new ColorOS 12 operating system (global version) based on Android 12, making it one of the first OEMs to release Android 12, available first on the OPPO Find X3 Pro in Indonesia and Malaysia. Serving as a pilot version of ColorOS 12, this edition will offer you a glimpse of how the new ColorOS iteration looks and feels. OPPO plans to unveil the full details of ColorOS 12 (global version) with an online event on Oct. 11 at 9am GMT, during which OPPO will disclose the inclusive and customizable design, rich features and strong performance, and the rollout timeline of ColorOS 12. Aiming to cover as many of its users as possible, OPPO is planning to cover 110+ devices and 150 million users across the world, making it the fastest and widest reaching ColorOS update in OPPO history. For the very first time, OPPO is also announcing a major update policy. Specifically, for the OPPO devices releasing from 2019 and onwards the company will guarantee three major Android updates for its flagship Find X Series devices 1, and two Android updates for the Reno/F/K Series and an Android update in some of the A Series models 2. Together with four years of regular security patch updates for the Find X/ Reno/ F/K Series, and three years for the A Series. 1 Excluding the Find X Lite and Neo models, which will be applied to two Android updates. 2 The policy is not applicable to the carrier models. Contact Details OPPO Ricca Huang riccahuang@oppo.com OPPO Lucas Yan yansu@oppo.com

October 04, 2021 02:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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#Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare - Sim&Cure Announces the Appointment of Dan Raffi as Chief Operating Officer and Board Member

Sim&Cure

Sim&Cure, leading medtech start-up providing a unique software solution combining Digital twin and AI technologies to secure neurovascular treatment of cerebral aneurysms, announces the appointment of Dan Raffi as Chief Operating Officer and member of the Board of Directors. We are excited to announce that Dan Raffi, PharmD, MBA has joined Sim&Cure as our new Chief Operating Officer on October 1 st. Dan is a veteran of the healthcare industry, with a track record of over 10 years at an executive level. Dan has held various leadership positions in big pharmaceutical companies such as Allergan (AbbVie) and Medtronic, a worldwide leader in medical devices. Dan brings with him extensive experience in leadership and in managing unique business transformations. Mathieu Sanchez, Sim&Cure CEO states“Bringing a seasoned leader like Dan will ensure the next phases of our transformation and will help us to reinforce our leadership in innovation using Digital twin and AI in endovascular procedures.” Until recently, Dan was the Vice President of Global Marketing for Medtronic Neurovascular and previously led the Neurovascular division in Europe, Middle East, & Africa & Russia for 3 years. Over his past 7 years in Neurovascular, Dan developed unique and disruptive partnership at international level with governments and with many external partners like MT2020, RapidAI, Viz.Ai and Sim&Cure. “I’ve been watching Sim&Cure for the past 7 years and I never forgot my first support to the company. There were 3 employees working in a “garage” (a kind of French Dream!). In 7 years, Sim&Cure established unique computational and AI algorithms which position their products as THE cutting-edge technology in endovascular procedures. This technology is already the standard of care across the globe as it reduces the procedure time, improves the safety and performance for patients and reduces the procedure cost for hospitals and healthcare systems. In the coming decade, AI will be the next revolution in the healthcare industry, and this is one of the reasons I decided to join Sim&Cure.” said Dan Raffi. In his role, Dan will collaborate with Christophe Chnafa, Chief of Innovation & Strategy Officer, to define the product portfolio roadmap to reinforce Sim&Cure’s leadership, to expand the geographic footprints of the company, and finally to define the next generation of partnerships with the rest of the industry and hospitals. “This phase is a critical moment for Sim&Cure and I can lean on very well established, dynamic, agile teams. I know many of them after 7 years of collaboration and it is obvious that these teams are ready to overachieve the needs of healthcare providers and the expectations of investors. We have all the attributes to be successful and, as an entrepreneurial leader, it is a privilege to join a team with this level of expertise and agility” said Dan Raffi. We are #HIRING If you are interested in joining a human adventure in artificial intelligence, we are #hiring, so please send an email with your resume to Pierre Puig @ p.puig@sim-and-cure.com – HR Director About Sim&Cure Founded in 2014 and located in the vibrant medtech ecosystem in Montpellier, France, Sim&Cure is an AI startup focused on improving endovascular surgery. The first focus of the company is the treatment of cerebral aneurysms with a proprietary software suite Sim&Size (a CE marked and FDA cleared Class IIa medical device) that has already been used to treat more than 7000 patients in 350 hospitals. The company employs 45 people and anticipates a phase of strong growth with additional recruitment in 2022 to continue to improve patient care. Learn more about Sim&Cure: www.sim-and-cure.com Learn more about Mathieu Sanchez https://www.linkedin.com/in/Mathieu-sanchez-4a764637/ Learn more about Dan Raffi: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-raffi-7491171b/ Learn more about Christophe Chnafa: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christophe-chnafa Contact Details Dan Raffi d.raffi@sim-and-cure.com

October 04, 2021 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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100 Oakland Small Businesses Owned by People of Color to Each Receive a $10,000 Grant from Comcast RISE Totaling $1 Million

Comcast California

Small Businesses Can Also Receive a Technology Makeover or Marketing Services Comcast RISE to support 13,000 small businesses owned by people of color nationwide, including Black, Indigenous, Hispanic, and Asian American owners, among others, by the end of 2022 The Comcast RISE Investment Fund will award $1 million in grants to 100 Oakland small businesses (1 to 25 employees) owned by people of color, including Black, Indigenous, Hispanic and Asian American, among others. Comcast RISE – which stands for Representation, Investment, Strength and Empowerment – has awarded marketing and technology services to 228 businesses in California so far. To help drive outreach and awareness about Comcast RISE opportunity and provide additional support and training, Comcast has also awarded a $50,000 grant to the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce. The announcement was made today during a virtual press conference with the Mayor of Oakland, Libby Schaff; California Assembly Member, Mia Bonta; Alameda County Assessor, Phong La; President & CEO of the Oakland African American Chamber of Commerce, Cathy Adams; and Owner of Mannequin Madness in Oakland and previous Comcast RISE recipient, Judi Townsend. “The economic effects of the global pandemic have been felt worldwide including significant impacts here in Oakland,” said Barbara Leslie, president & CEO, Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce. “We know that our small, local, woman-owned and people of color businesses – that are responsible for creating the beautiful tapestry we call home – have been disproportionately impacted by COVID. We applaud Comcast’s vision, through the Comcast RISE Investment Fund, to ensure that small businesses that exist today will be a part of Oakland’s economic and social fabric tomorrow and many years to come.” “Like many others, my small business was impacted by the pandemic. Thanks to the Comcast RISE program, I can reach new audiences,” said Judi Townsend, owner of Mannequin Madness and Oakland resident. Townsend benefited from the program twice, once with the production and placement of a TV commercial and then with a technology makeover. “The application process was much more straightforward than other grants. I encourage my fellow eligible business owners to apply for the grant and technology or marketing makeovers.” The Comcast RISE Investment Fund monetary grants are intended to help small businesses owned by people of color grow as they navigate the challenges of the pandemic. The Investment Fund is the latest extension of Comcast RISE, the multi-year, multi-faceted initiative launched in 2020 to provide small businesses owned by people of color the opportunity to apply for marketing and technology services from Comcast Business and Effectv, the advertising sales division of Comcast Cable. Through Comcast RISE, the company also announced it will support 13,000 small businesses, owned by people of color, with monetary grants; a TV campaign, production of a TV commercial or consulting services from Effectv; or computer equipment, internet, voice or cybersecurity from Comcast Business by the end of 2022. Oakland is one of six cities nationwide that was selected to award a $10,000 grant to 100 local businesses from the Comcast RISE Investment Fund, for a total of $6 million across 600 businesses. “When we launched Comcast RISE, we knew a profound need existed in many of the communities we serve,” said Kristeen Cominiello, Vice President of Comcast Business, Comcast California. “We now have seen firsthand how the program’s marketing and technology resources benefit the business owners who are working hard to rise above what happened in 2020. Today, with Oakland being chosen as a Comcast RISE Investment Fund grant city, we are so excited to see how this infusion of funding will further propel businesses. We know the impacts will be meaningful and far reaching.” Comcast RISE is part of an expanded Diversity, Equity and Inclusion commitment that Comcast announced last summer, as well as a coordinated cross-company effort to address digital inequities through sustainable programming and investments such as Internet Essentials and Lift Zones. In addition, grant recipients will receive a complimentary 12-month membership to the coaching program from Ureeka, an online platform for entrepreneurs, to help them build skills, gain more customers and become financially stable. Comcast RISE was formed in late 2020 to give small businesses owned by people of color, from bakeries and barber shops to childcare centers and cleaning services, the tools needed to not just survive, but thrive. Comcast RISE Marketing and Technology Services In addition to the Investment Fund, Comcast RISE provides the opportunity for small businesses owned by people of color nationwide to apply for one or more of the following support focus areas with the opportunity to receive one. Marketing Services: The following services from Effectv, the advertising sales division of Comcast Cable, and its creative agency, Mnemonic, are designed to help recipients with their marketing and media campaigns, including: Media: A linear TV media campaign to run over a 90-day period. Creative Production: Turnkey 30-second TV commercial production, plus a media strategy consultation and a 90-day linear TV media campaign. Consulting: Advertising and marketing consultations with local Effectv marketing, research and creative teams to gain insights on how to drive business. Technology Makeovers: The state-of-the-art equipment and technology upgrade from Comcast Business includes computer equipment as well as internet, voice and cybersecurity services for up to a 12-month period. (Taxes and other fees may still apply for tech makeover services.) Monetary Grants: In the first round, Comcast RISE announced $5 million in grants to 500 businesses across five metropolitan areas including Philadelphia, Detroit, Chicago, Atlanta and Houston. Each business received $10,000 to invest in its own growth and sustainability. The grants were awarded in May. In September 2021, Comcast RISE announced that $10,000 grants will be awarded to 600 small businesses in Houston, Miami, Oakland, Seattle, the Twin Cities, and Washington, D.C., providing $6 million additional dollars to hundreds of small businesses owned by people of color, bringing the total to $11 million in grants awarded as part of the Comcast RISE Investment Fund. All small business owners can visit the Comcast RISE destination on Xfinity X1, which features aggregated small business news, resources, Comcast RISE recipient stories and more. The destination is designed to help businesses grow by empowering them through inspiration, education and entertainment. Just say “Comcast RISE” into the X1 voice remote. Comcast’s Ongoing Commitment to Advancing Digital Equity Comcast RISE is part of Comcast’s ongoing efforts to advance digital equity and help to provide underrepresented small business owners with access to the digital tools and funding they need to thrive. Over the next 10 years, Comcast has committed $1 billion to programs and partnerships that will reach an estimated 50 million people with the skills, opportunities, and resources they need to succeed in an increasingly digital world. For more information or to apply (starting Oct. 1, 2021) for either the grant program or marketing and technology services visit www.ComcastRISE.com. About Comcast Corporation Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA) is a global media and technology company that connects people to moments that matter. We are principally focused on broadband, aggregation, and streaming with over 56 million customer relationships across the United States and Europe. We deliver broadband, wireless, and video through our Xfinity, Comcast Business, and Sky brands; create, distribute, and stream leading entertainment, sports, and news through Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, Universal Studio Group, Sky Studios, the NBC and Telemundo broadcast networks, multiple cable networks, Peacock, NBCUniversal News Group, NBC Sports, Sky News, and Sky Sports; and provide memorable experiences at Universal Parks and Resorts in the United States and Asia. Visit www.comcastcorporation.com for more information. About Comcast Business Comcast Business offers Ethernet, Internet, Wi-Fi, Voice, TV and Managed Enterprise Solutions to help organizations of all sizes transform their business. Powered by an advanced network, and backed by 24/7 customer support, Comcast Business is one of the largest contributors to the growth of Comcast Cable. Comcast Business is the nation’s largest cable provider to small and mid-size businesses and has emerged as a force in the Enterprise market; recognized over the last two years by leading industry associations as one of the fastest growing providers of Ethernet services. For more information, visit www.business.comcast.com or call 866- 429-3085. Follow on Twitter @ComcastBusiness and on other social media networks at http://business.comcast.com/social. About Effectv Effectv, the advertising sales division of Comcast Cable, helps local, regional and national advertisers use the best of digital with the power of TV to grow their business. It provides multi-screen marketing solutions to make advertising campaigns more effective and easier to execute. Headquartered in New York with offices throughout the country, Effectv has a presence in 66 markets with nearly 35 million owned and represented subscribers. For more information, visit www.effectv.com. Contact Details Comcast California Adriana Arvizo +1 925-200-1919 Adriana_Arvizo@comcast.com Fiona Hutton & Associates Jon Koriel +1 714-686-4097 jkoriel@fionahuttonassoc.com

October 01, 2021 10:30 AM Pacific Daylight Time

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STARTING TODAY, SMALL BUSINESSES IN KING AND PIERCE COUNTIES MAY APPLY FOR $10,000 GRANTS FROM COMCAST RISE

Comcast Washington

Comcast today announced that small businesses owned by people of color in King and Pierce Counties, may now apply for a $10,000 grant from the Comcast RISE Investment Fund. Comcast will award $1 million in grants to 100 eligible businesses in these two counties, as well as technology and marketing resources to eligible businesses statewide. Comcast RISE Investment Fund Starting today, October 1, and through October 14, eligible businesses can apply for Comcast RISE monetary grants, and, or marketing and technology services at www.ComcastRISE.com. Winners will be notified in November. Local small businesses seeking more information about the $10,000 grants, may learn more about the Comcast RISE Investment Fund, eligibility requirements, and how to apply by watching this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXVAf3-Mxys&t=21s The Investment Fund is an extension of Comcast RISE, the multi-year, multi-faceted initiative launched in October 2020 to support small businesses owned by people of color and provide the resources and tools they need to thrive for years to come. The Comcast RISE Investment Fund is focused on small businesses that have been in business for three or more years with 1-25 employees. Comcast RISE Marketing and Technology Services In addition to the Investment Fund, Comcast RISE, which stands for “Representation, Investment, Strength, and Empowerment,” provides the opportunity for small businesses owned by people of color nationwide to apply for one or more of the following support focus areas with the opportunity to receive one. Marketing Services: The following services from Effectv, the advertising sales division of Comcast Cable, and its creative agency, Mnemonic, are designed to help recipients with their marketing and media campaigns, including: Media: A linear TV media campaign to run over a 90-day period. Creative Production: Turnkey:30 TV commercial production, plus a media strategy consultation and 90-day media placement schedule. Consulting: Advertising and marketing consultations with local Effectv marketing, research, and creative teams to gain insights on how to drive business. Technology Makeovers: The state-of-the-art equipment and technology upgrade from Comcast Business includes computer equipment as well as Internet, Voice, and Cybersecurity services for up to a 12-month period. (Taxes and other fees may still apply for technology makeover services.) Monetary Grants: In round one, which was announced in April of 2021, the Comcast RISE Investment Fund provided $5 million in grants to 500 small businesses owned by people of color in five cities: Philadelphia/Chester, Houston, Atlanta, Chicago, and Detroit. The Comcast RISE Investment Fund will now provide an additional $6 million in grants to 600 small businesses owned by people of color in six cities: Miami, Houston, Oakland, Seattle, the Twin Cities, and Washington, D.C. All eligible applicants will receive a monthly Comcast RISE newsletter with educational content, and all small business owners can visit the Comcast RISE destination on the X1 platform featuring aggregated small business news, tips, insights, and more. Just say “Comcast RISE” into the X1 voice remote. To help drive awareness about the program and provide additional support and training in King and Pierce Counties, Comcast is partnering with the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, Seattle Latino Chamber of Commerce, Seattle Southside Chamber of Commerce, Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce, and Greater Seattle Business Association (GSBA). Comcast’s Ongoing Commitment to Advancing Digital Equity Comcast RISE is part of an expanded Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) commitment that Comcast announced in June 2020, as well as an ongoing cross-company effort to address digital inequities. Over the next 10 years, Comcast is pledging $1 billion to programs and partnerships that will connect an estimated 50 million people with the skills, opportunities, and resources they need to succeed in an increasingly digital world. More information and the applications to apply for either the grant program or marketing and technology services are available at www.ComcastRISE.com. About Comcast Business Comcast Business offers Ethernet, Internet, Wi-Fi, Voice, TV and Managed Enterprise Solutions to help organizations of all sizes transform their business. Powered by an advanced network, and backed by 24/7 customer support, Comcast Business is one of the largest contributors to the growth of Comcast Cable. Comcast Business is the nation’s largest cable provider to small and mid-size businesses and has emerged as a force in the Enterprise market; recognized over the last two years by leading industry associations as one of the fastest-growing providers of Ethernet services. For more information, visit www.business.comcast.com or call 866- 429-3085. Follow on Twitter @ComcastBusiness and on other social media networks at http://business.comcast.com/social. About Effectv Effectv, the advertising sales division of Comcast Cable, helps local, regional and national advertisers use the best of digital with the power of TV to grow their business. It provides multi-screen marketing solutions to make advertising campaigns more effective and easier to execute. Headquartered in New York with offices throughout the country, Effectv has a presence in 66 markets with nearly 35 million owned and represented subscribers. For more information, visit www.effectv.com. About Comcast Corporation Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA) is a global media and technology company that connects people to moments that matter. We are principally focused on broadband, aggregation, and streaming with over 56 million customer relationships across the United States and Europe. We deliver broadband, wireless, and video through our Xfinity, Comcast Business, and Sky brands; create, distribute, and stream leading entertainment, sports, and news through Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, Universal Studio Group, Sky Studios, the NBC and Telemundo broadcast networks, multiple cable networks, Peacock, NBCUniversal News Group, NBC Sports, Sky News, and Sky Sports; and provide memorable experiences at Universal Parks and Resorts in the United States and Asia. Visit www.comcastcorporation.com for more information. Contact Details Andy Colley Andy_Colley@Comcast.com Company Website https://washington.comcast.com/

October 01, 2021 08:25 AM Pacific Daylight Time

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