STAMFORD, Conn., Jan. 15, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Charter
Communications and leaders of leading national civic organizations
serving communities of color announced a memorandum of
understanding (MOU) that will take effect upon the closing of
Charter's pending merger with Time Warner Cable and acquisition of
Bright House Networks. New Charter is committed to continuing the
diversity and inclusion practices developed by the three companies
and will build upon existing diversity efforts in the specific
areas of corporate governance, employment and workforce
recruitment, procurement, programming, and philanthropy and
community investment.
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"We are very pleased to have reached this important memorandum
of understanding, which reflects our commitment to the fundamental
values of diversity and inclusion," said Tom Rutledge, president and chief executive
officer of Charter. "Charter strives to reflect the great diversity
of the communities we serve in all our business practices as a key
component of our continued success."
The MOU identifies specific diversity initiatives and
establishes a plan of action to guide the collaborative efforts of
New Charter and a wide array of diverse civic and leadership
organizations. As part of the MOU, Charter has committed to a
number of concrete actions, including appointing one African
American, one Asian American/Pacific Islander and one Latino
American to its newly formed board of directors within two years of
the close of the transaction. New Charter will also appoint a Chief
Diversity Officer who will lead the company's diversity and
inclusion efforts. The MOU also includes a number of specific steps
New Charter will take to increase diversity among its workforce,
improve diversity in the procurement of goods and services, expand
programming targeting diverse audiences, and enhance its
involvement and investment in organizations serving communities of
color.
The following twelve multicultural leadership organizations have
agreed to sign the MOU: National Urban League, National Action
Network, National Council of La Raza, League of United Latin
American Citizens, National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts,
SER-National, Hispanic Federation, Asian Americans Advancing
Justice I AAJC, OCA—Asian Pacific American Advocates, Media Action
Network for Asian Americans, East West Players, and the Asian
Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies.
Support for Charter's Memorandum of Understanding:
National Urban League
President and CEO Marc Morial, who led the multicultural
organizations that worked with Charter to fashion the MOU, made the
following statement: "The Charter MOU contains the 'best of
the best' practices for diversity and inclusion.
Substantively it addresses every one of the key elements of equal
service to all communities: governance, employment,
procurement, programming, and community engagement. Since the
effectuation of the MOU is contingent upon the closing of Charter's
acquisition of Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks, we
encourage the Federal Communications Commission to afford the
proposed transactions expedited consideration."
Rev. Al Sharpton, President of
National Action Network provided the following statement
regarding the MOU. "This agreement is another marker of progress
that brings with it special resonance on Dr. King's birthday –
together we are continuing to move closer to achieving his dream of
equality in America. The MOU is strengthened by these diverse
groups coming together with Charter to affirm their commitment to a
future of greater inclusion and diversity. Far beyond just
superficial statements, Charter is making concrete assurances to
enhance multicultural leadership in corporate governance, their
workforce, procurement, programming and community investment. The
enactment of the agreement is contingent upon approval of Charter's
merger with Time Warner Cable and Bright House – and for that
reason we urge regulators to expedite this process."
League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) National
President Roger Rocha provided
support from the Latino community. "We thank Charter for committing
to improve diversity and inclusion throughout the company and for
its willingness to enhance its services and support of the Latino
community. LULAC strongly advocates for companies to do the right
thing in the diversity space especially when it comes to the area
of telecommunications. This industry is critical to our community's
educational and professional success in particular because of the
opportunities that come with affordable high speed access to the
internet. What has been committed to in the MOU is a significant
step for the company and we look forward to working with Charter as
they implement its provisions."
Janet Murguia, President and
CEO of the National Council of La Raza, said "We believe that
the MOU outlines a commitment to working with the Latino community
to provide much-needed high speed and affordable internet access,
enhanced support for Latino-themed programming in English,
and expanding career and employment opportunities. We welcome the
chance to work with Charter on this nascent effort to become a
leader in the area of diversity inclusion and engagement."
"Asian Americans are expected to grow to more than 10 percent of
the U.S. population by 2060," said Mee
Moua, president and executive director of Advancing Justice
| AAJC. "Despite our unprecedented growth, we continue to be
excluded from diversity and inclusion strategies. In the
media and entertainment industry, our invisibility is perpetuated
by the limited acting roles for Asian Americans and Pacific
Islanders and the portrayals of our communities that are based on
stereotypes and misperceptions. Through this MOU endeavor, New
Charter is exercising a leadership opportunity to influence content
creation and prioritize programming distribution that accurately
reflects the changing face of America, particularly in markets in
which there are highly-concentrated AAPI populations, such as
Hawaii, New York and Southern California."
Jose Calderon, President of
the Hispanic Federation, said "The Hispanic Federation exists
to advance the interests and aspirations of the Hispanic community,
especially in the areas of education and economic empowerment. We
are committed to working with Charter to ensure that the MOU serves
and benefits our students and families through a significant
expansion of their low-cost broadband programs, the job training
and recruitment of Latinos across their urban markets, and
meaningful, systemic and long-term philanthropic investments in our
communities."
About Charter
Charter (NASDAQ: CHTR) is a leading broadband communications
company and the fourth-largest cable operator in the United States. Charter provides a full
range of advanced broadband services, including Spectrum TV™ video
entertainment programming, Spectrum Internet™ access, and Spectrum
Voice™. Spectrum Business™ similarly provides scalable, tailored,
and cost-effective broadband communications solutions to business
organizations, such as business-to-business Internet access, data
networking, business telephone, video and music entertainment
services, and wireless backhaul. Charter's advertising sales and
production services are sold under the Spectrum Reach™ brand. More
information about Charter can be found at charter.com
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SOURCE Charter Communications