The FCC’s policies with regard to diversity generally have taken center stage over the past few days. First up, on Friday, April 21, the Commission released a Declaratory Ruling which updated its policy as to whether the use by broadcasters and multichannel video programming distributors (MVPD’s) of only Internet-based recruitment sources provides sufficiently wide dissemination … Continue Reading
Earlier this week, two broadcasting companies petitioned the FCC to revise its Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) rules to allow broadcasters to rely on Internet recruitment sources when filling job openings. The Commission’s current EEO rules, which date back to 2002, require broadcasters employing five or more full-time employees, and MVPDs employing six or more full-time … Continue Reading
The Internet may be the go-to place for job-seekers, but the FCC still insists on an Old School approach when it comes to broadcast jobs and EEO.… Continue Reading
The Media Bureau has issued two EEO-related decisions signaling that, for every single job opening - no exceptions - broadcasters must notify multiple recruitment sources that are likely to refer applicants from diverse backgrounds. Exclusive reliance on over-the-air announcements and Internet postings will not do the trick.… Continue Reading
The Media Bureau has dished out fines and reporting requirements to three licensees for various EEO shortcomings. It appears that the Commission's EEO enforcement mechanism is still primed to lunge at the capillaries of procedural minutia, rather than the jugular of actual discriminatory activity.… Continue Reading
The FCC has given us a glimpse of what EEO enforcement is likely to look like for the foreseeable future: continued emphasis on detailed record-keeping despite the absence of any indication that any unlawful employment discrimination has occurred.… Continue Reading