It’s not just broadcasters who are under the FCC EEO microscope – an MVPD serving parts of Texas has just been hit with a hefty fine and reporting conditions.
The company is Grande Communications, based in San Marcos TX. According to an FCC release, the MVPD was discovered to have EEO violations during the 2009-2010 reporting year, and the FCC responded by ordering an audit for the 2010-2011 reporting year. Grande started out by being late responding to the audit notification, but after smoothing that over, was still found to be out of compliance.
According to the FCC, during 2010-2011, the company filled 121 positions. The company failed to give adequate notice – to make sure minority citizens were aware of the openings – for 34 of them, amounting to 28% of the employment opportunities.
The FCC said that the problem with the 34 was that they were solely advertised on internet websites. The company is required to use multiple recruitment sources.
The company was found to be in violation of rules requiring adequate notification of openings, and of adequately reviewing the company’s own hiring practices with an eye toward EEO compliance.
The result: $10K in fines and reporting conditions to assure the FCC that it will be following the letter of the law for all future hires.
