FCC Continues EEO Audits, This Time Just For Cable Systems - A Reminder for All to Keep Up EEO Compliance and Paperwork
The FCC has just announced another of its regular EEO audits, though this time its just for cable systems (see the FCC Public Notice and list of affected systems here). The FCC will audit 5% of all broadcasters and cable companies each year to assess their EEO compliance, so be prepared in case you are next. Broadcasters were last audited in August (radio stations only), so expect another group to be required to submit their information for scrutiny in the not too distant future. Our Advisory on complying with the EEO obligations of broadcasters is available here.
This audit also serves to remind broadcasters of their obligation to annually prepare and file an EEO Public File Report, detailing information about hires made and employment recruiting sources used in the prior year, as well as on the "supplemental efforts" that they have engaged in to educate their communities about opportunities in broadcast employment. Station employment units in Alabama, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Massachusetts, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota and Vermont need to have their reports in their public file, and on their website, by December 1. For more information about that requirement, see our Advisory on the EEO Public File Report here.
