Yesterday the FCC released its long awaited Form 396-C. This form must be filed by all cable operator and multichannel video programming distributor (“MVPDs”) employment units obligated to comply with the FCC’s Equal Employment Opportunity (“EEO”) regulations.1 Due to the late release of the Form, the FCC has extended its original filing due date of Sept. 30 to Oct. 15, 2003.
The Form is available at the FCC’s website http://www.fcc.gov/Forms/Form396C/396c.pdf,
but must be filled out using the FCC Media Bureau’s CDBS system located at http://svartifoss2.fcc.gov/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/cdbs_ef.htm. The Form must be filed electronically.2 Employment units that need to make a paper filing of Form 396-C must file a waiver request and have such request granted prior to filing.
Employment units will not have to report the race and gender of their current workforce by job category in the 396-C Form. However, randomly selected employment units will be required to fill out portions of the Supplemental Investigation Sheet (the “SIS”) at the end of the Form. An employment unit will not know it has been selected for a SIS until it logs in to the electronic Form 396-C. Once an employment unit enters the 396-C Form and inputs its employment unit identity number, it should check “Page One” of the electronic Form. Units selected for an SIS will see a box checked on the electronic version of the Form next to the statement, “Supplemental Investigation Sheet attached.” If this box is checked, the unit must fill out the SIS portions at the end of the form.
The electronic filing process can be stopped if the employment unit would like to review or confirm its inputted information before submitting the 396-C to the FCC. In order to actually file a form, filers must press the “File Form” button and complete the filing process. The Form may be printed at any stage while it is being filled out. The FCC’s general instructions regarding electronic filings can be found at http://www.fcc.gov/mb/elecfile.html which includes the CDBS user guide.
Due to the late release of Form 396-C and the short amount of time for preparation and review of the filings, CRB has sought and obtained on behalf of individual clients extensions of the Oct.15, 2003, deadline. Please contact us if you would like our assistance in obtaining an extension or if you have questions or need other assistance in making this important filing.
FOOTNOTES
1 This Form does not apply to broadcasters who do not have an annual FCC EEO filing requirement. Broadcast EEO filings with the FCC are tied to license renewal and expiration dates.
2 An FCC Registration Number (“FRN”) is required for all forms submitted using the FCC’s electronic filing systems. The FRN is a unique 10 digit FCC registration number which can be obtained both on-line and manually. If you need more information on obtaining a FRN, please review the CORES Home Page at https://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/coresWeb/publicHome.do, or contact us for assistance.