| January 5, 2000 Secretary Federal Trade Commission Room H-159 600 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington, DC 20580 Re: Advisory Committee on Online Access and Dear Secretary: On behalf of the Hispanic National Bar Association, I write to nominate Andrés W. López, Esq. to serve on the Federal Trade Commission's Advisory Committee on Online Access and Security. I believe that Mr. López will meaningfully contribute to the Advisory Committee's mission of evaluating the current state of online information practices and assessing industry efforts to protect consumer privacy online. To that end, I enclose a copy of Mr. López's resumé, which details his educational and professional background and experience. Over the past year, we have witnessed a staggering growth in Internet usage among Hispanic consumers. With a combined purchasing power of $350 million, it is no surprise to find an ever-growing interest in this segment of the online population. The exploding Internet usage among Hispanics -- who are purchasing computers at twice the rate is drawing the interest of all other U.S. households -- has drawn attention from advertisers and investors. According to Forrester Research, Internet usage by Hispanics will continue to rise -- by 43% in the Year 2000. Simply put, if current trends persist, a significant percentage of all Hispanic households will use the Internet to seek information and make purchases online. Any serious attempt to evaluate the online industry's self-regulatory efforts to protect consumer privacy online must take into account the impact of these practices on the Hispanic community. As you may know, the Hispanic National Bar Association is a non-profit organization that is committed to safeguarding the interests of Hispanic attorneys and the Hispanic community throughout the country. The HNBA is particularly concerned about the effects of current online information practices on the Hispanic community. As part of its mission, the HNBA will undertake efforts to advise Hispanics throughout the country about their online privacy rights and about ways in which Hispanic consumers obtain reasonable access to personal information collected from and about them. I am certain that Mr. López who presently serves as our Deputy Regional President for the Puerto Rico Region will faithfully represent the interests of our organization on this important issue. His keen interest and knowledge about issues involving the Internet will provide the committee with a valuable perspective from an important segment of the online community. I trust that you will agree that Mr. López is an excellent candidate for the Advisory Committee. The HNBA submits his nomination enthusiastically and without reservation. Please feel free to call me at (787) 763-1144 if you have any questions. Sincerely, Enclosure 1 |