Civil rights, labor, and public interest organizations urge the FCC to publish equal employment opportunity data by broadcasters and cable operators

A joint filing by civil rights, labor, and public interest organizations urged the FCC to enforce the law by collecting and publishing data on employee demographics from broadcasters, cable operators, and other MVPDs, consistent with the FCC’s Equity Action Plan to promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. 

The filing by Asian Americans Advancing Justice, Black Women’s Roundtable, Common Cause, CWA, Hispanic Federation, National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, National Urban League, Service Employees International Union, Strategic Organizing Center, United Church of Christ Media Justice Ministry, and Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council urged the FCC to take these actions as part of an overall effort to ensure that the communications sector acts with equity and fairness to all people as employees, entrepreneurs and creators. The commenters also urged the FCC to adopt the following nine MMTC-led proposals, some of which have been pending since 2004:
 

1. Requiring certifications that job postings preceded hiring decisions.

2. Auditing reform, which includes increasing audit frequency and randomly selecting some audited units for more thorough review encompassing applicant interviewing and employee selection.

3. Auditing of employment units that received EEOC probable cause determinations.

4. Opening a fact-finding, non-content-based investigation under 47 U.S.C. §403 into the abysmal levels of minority employment in radio news.

5. Providing whistleblower protections, including a confidential phone number and protections against retaliation [unopposed].

6. Developing and disseminating compliance tools, such as an EEO Primer, Best Practices, FAQs, and Model EEO Programs [unopposed].

7. Extending EEO scrutiny to cover promotion, retention, training, and mentoring.

8. Collaborate with the Department of Labor and the EEOC to ensure that each agency’s EEO enforcement measures apply equitably across the communications and technology sectors. [unopposed].

9. Consolidating all anti-discrimination compliance and regulatory enforcement (to include advertising, transactional, procurement and employment discrimination) in a new Civil Rights Section of the Enforcement Bureau [unopposed].
 

Links:

Joint supplemental comments of civil rights, labor, and public interest organizations in MB Docket No. 19-177 and MB Docket No. 98-204 (FCC, Aug. 10, 2022)