A group of minority-owned media, led by Fuse Media, is asking the Federal Communications Commission to collect data on the diversity of content vendors used by licensed media and telecommunications companies.
The group’s petition wants streaming services owned by licensed media companies included among those who have to report on diversity, as well as traditional platforms like broadcast, cable and satellite TV.
Those companies would include Alphabet, Fox, Amazon, Paramount, Comcast, The Walt Disney Co. and Dish Network.
“The commission is charged with promoting competition and diversity in the video marketplace yet, despite multiple information-gathering dockets, currently fails regularly to collect and report on data regarding the demographic diversity of vendors providing one of the most critical inputs to the video marketplace: content,” said the petitioners in their filing.
The petition said the vendor diversity report would help the FCC measure competition and diversity and help the public make more informed decisions about which services they want to consume.
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“Today, we take a step toward genuinely embracing diversity in the video marketplace,” said Miguel “Mike” Roggero, CEO of Fuse Media. “As a Latino-owned, independent company, we understand that a competitive and culturally authentic video marketplace features a wide range of voices, including from communities of color. Roggero added, “Accurate data about the market will help foster a more vibrant, inclusive media landscape, which is vital in enabling us to tell stories that are truly representative of all audiences.”
In the past, Fuse has charged that distributors including Comcast and AT&T have discriminated against it because it is minority-owned.
Also signing on to the pettion were Common Cause, the National Hispanic Media Coalition, Public Knowledge and the United Church of Christ Media Justice Ministry. ■
