FCC Diversity Committee Recommends Renewal Of Studies Examining Market-Entry Barriers To Women, Minorities

The Federal Communication Commission's Diversity Committee has recommended that the agency renew its Adarand studies examining market entry barriers to women and minorities, and to make sure that the peer-reviewed studies have sufficient funding so that the result could meet the standards of a reviewing court. The Supreme Court's Adarand decision held that "federal affirmative action programs that use racial and ethnic criteria as a basis for decisionmaking are subject to strict judicial scrutiny." The committee wants to make sure the FCC's diversity initiatives can survive that scrutiny. The committee recommended the FCC restore its designated entity program. The committee also adopted numerous recommendations for the national broadband plan, including incentives for high-speed broadband, a broadband hardware subsidy, expanding the E-rate program to include Internet literacy and training, partner with organizations that win broadband stimulus grants to help drive demand for broadband. At a speech Tuesday, FCC commissioner and former acting chairman Michael Copps praised the moves.