Direct-to-home satellite provider DIRECTV has agreed to pay the U.S. Treasury $150,000 as part of a consent decree it has entered into with the FCC’s Media Bureau regarding compliance with equal employment opportunity (EEO) rules.
By its action, the Media Bureau, which released the terms of the consent decree on Aug. 28, has end an investigation of the DTH satellite provider to determine whether it had failed to comply with the FCC’s EEO rules.
The investigation stemmed from a voluntary report submitted in July 2005 to the FCC’s Media Bureau by DIRECTV in which the satellite provider said it had failed to file its annual MVPD equal employment opportunity reports for 2003 and 2004. Additionally, DIRECTV told the bureau it and failed to maintain EEO public reports for the same years, and thus failed to make the reports available for public inspection as required. While failing to file the reports, DIRECTV asserted it had maintained a continuing program of practices to ensure equal opportunity to job applicants and employees.
Upon reviewing DIRECTV’s EEO public file reports, the bureau found the company didn’t properly recruit for every full-time vacancy as required. Upon instituting a company-wide program to ensure compliance, DIRECTV also discovered failure to meet EEO requirements at an affiliate in Puerto Rico.
Under the agreement, DIRECTV will pay the U.S. Treasury $150,000 as well as abide by a plan to become compliant with EEO requirements.
For more information, visit www.fcc.gov.
