FCC Rejection of Broad EEO Revisions 'Unthinkable,' Says Honig
It should be “unthinkable” for the FCC to reject diversity groups' calls for broad changes to equal employment opportunity rules, said Multicultural Media Telecom and Internet Council Senior Adviser David Honig in calls with Commissioners Brendan Carr and Jessica Rosenworcel,…
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show filings for dockets including 18-23. The draft order on eliminating broadcaster midterm EEO reports doesn’t address the broad EEO reform requested by the diversity groups (see 1901030039) because it would involve “far-reaching substantive changes to the Commission’s EEO rules,” the draft said. “The NPRM’s focus was on improvements to EEO compliance and enforcement.” The agency shouldn’t reject a proposal for being “substantive and far-reaching enough to cure the horrible persistence of racial and gender discrimination in broadcasting,” Honig said. The “proper course of action” would be to issue the proposals out for more comment as a Further NPRM, he said. Since the EEO proposals are more than 15 years old, any further comment should be sought on an expedited schedule, Honig said. He rejected language in the order that would tout FCC transfer of EEO enforcement from the Media Bureau to the Enforcement Bureau and additional EEO audits as steps toward EEO change. That's no substitute for “anti-cronyism” EEO enforcement and data collection, Honig said. The commission didn't comment Friday.