FCC Looks For Comments On Resuming Collection Of EEO Data

EEO Revisited

The FCC is seeking comment on whether it should resume collecting employment information from broadcast stations after 20 years of the rule being suspended based on a court decision vacating some of the Commission's EEO requirements.

The Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, with comment and replay dates to be determined by publication in the Federal Register, is styled as a request to "refresh the existing record." It was greeted by enthusiasm by Acting Chairwoman JESSICA ROSENWORCEL and Commissioner GEOFFREY STARKS, with ROSENWORCEL calling the EEO information "vitally important to assess the industry's workforce diversity" and, criticizing the Commission's inability to fix the EEO data collection issues, declaring, "We can do better than this." 

STARKS added, "Diversity matters ... Without a reliable window into the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) practices of broadcasters, we may never be able to fully understand the scope of the issue, least of all address it. Diversity in the media is critical to ensuring that all stories are told and all communities are well-served. EEO data will help us develop a better understanding of the landscape of our media workforce, and the failure to collect it has hampered our ability to determine what regulatory actions are necessary to ensure equal employment opportunities. This inquiry is therefore long overdue."

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