MMTC Says EEO Data Shouldn't Be Anonymous

The FCC shouldn’t anonymize the equal employment opportunity data collected from licensees if it approves a proposal to collect such data, said the Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council in an ex parte virtual meeting Tuesday with Media Bureau Chief Holly Saurer, acting Enforcement Bureau Chief Loyaan Egal, and MB and EB staff, said a filing posted in docket 98-204 Friday. "The EEO data should be able to be organized by industry type, by job category, by company, by market, and by state," the filing said. Broadcasters argued EEO data must be kept anonymous. The data should also be made public so the FCC can better determine if job outreach rules have been violated, MMTC said. It also urged the agency to increase scrutiny of industry hiring practices, extend EEO requirements to tech companies, and create a civil rights division in the Enforcement Bureau.