Media

Yesterday Sunday, October 29, 2017, with their friends, families, and community leaders, New York unveiled “Flight 587 Way” at 181st Street and Amsterdam Avenue in honor to the victims and their families whose lives have been marked on Monday, November 12, 2001 by this tragic accident. On the Morning of November 12, 2001, American Airlines Flight 587 bound to the Dominican Republic crashed into the Belle Harbor neighborhood of Queens. The passing of time has not erased the pain that all 265 victims left in their family, friends, and loved ones’ lives. This is the second deadliest plane crash in the United States aviation history, and to many – in the Dominican community – is essential to remember this catastrophic plane crash. “I’m proud to join my colleagues in government to honor the 265 victims by unveiling “Flight 587 Way”. said U.S Congressman Adriano Espaillat (NY-13). “The crash of Flight 587, on November 12, 2001, claimed the lives of all 265 victims, most of whom were Dominican or Dominican-American. We must always remember the lives of those lost that day, and I am proud to stand with the Dominican community to help memorialize those affected by this catastrophe.”

After Verizon's decision to remove Univision from Verizon Fios, AT&T recently decided to remove Televisión Dominicana from U-Verse and DIRECTV, which is their only channel that services the Dominican community, leaving viewers who were depending on the channel for news and updates in the dark. Not surprisingly, AT&T’s actions have provoked concern and outrage among Hispanic leaders. "Despite our best efforts to negotiate continued distribution, AT&T's proposals made access to Televisión Dominicana limited and more expensive for the Dominican community," said a spokesman for the channel. According to The Business in Television "There are 2.3 million Dominicans living in the United States, the fourth largest Spanish-speaking population, but AT&T and DIRECTV carry other networks targeting smaller population groups. Among those are three channels from Spain provided by a company partnered with DIRECTV, including the channel that replaced Televisión Dominicana."
In the latest of a series of actions, Congress member Adriano Espaillat - the first Dominican-American in Congress - called on the Boards of both AT&T and Time Warner to consider the importance of Televisión Dominicana in the lives of countless Dominican Americans in light of the proposed merger between the two companies.

On Wednesday, Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY-13) and Rep. Luis V. Gutiérrez (D-IL-04) will debrief reporters following their individual trips this past weekend to Puerto Rico to help distribute supplies and other necessities in Comerío, a municipality located near the center-eastern region of the island. This marked the second joint trip the two Congressmen have taken to Puerto Rico as they continue to assess the damage following Hurricane Maria last month. Tomorrow’s briefing will be an opportunity to further discuss their experiences and their thoughts on what should come next in their continued push for federal funding to help Puerto Rico rebuild.