WASHINGTON-NAACP President Kweisi Mfume last week called for a boycott of two top wireless firms-AirTouch Communications Inc. and AllTel Corp.-for inadequate representation of African Americans in employment and contracting practices, a backlash becoming more pronounced as a result of affirmative-action curbs and increased telecom consolidation.
The telecom race issue also has sparked debate within the Federal Communications Commission.
“African Americans spend $10 billion annually for telephone services. We urge consumers not to spend their money with companies that received failing grades for not providing a return on their dollars. Consumers should disconnect AllTel and AirTouch for receiving a `D’. They should also disconnect Frontier (Corp.) for getting an `F’,” said Mfume at press conference at the National Press Club.
Overall, 17 telecom companies, including mobile phone, local landline and long-distance carriers, were graded by the NAACP as part of an “economic reciprocity initiative” begun in 1996.
The NAACP based its findings on company records and data covering employment, vendor relationships, procurement, advertising and marketing, service deployment and philanthropy.
No company received an “A.” Getting B’s in ranking order were BellSouth Corp., SBC Communications Inc., Ameritech Corp., AT&T Corp. and Southern New England Telephone Co.
“We realized there is still more work for us-and all our country-to do,” said Duane Ackerman, BellSouth’s chairman.
Excel and Cincinnati Bell got C-pluses, while straight C’s were handed out to U S West Inc., LCI Corp., Sprint Corp., Comcast Corp. and GTE Corp.
“We were rather shocked by this grade,” said Jonathan Marshall, an AirTouch spokesman.
Marshall said last year’s equal employment opportunity report had 15 percent of AirTouch’s employees being African American. He said that compares with a 12 percent black population in the United States.
“We think our employment record is, in fact, very strong,” said Marshall. “We don’t just pay lip service to diversity. We practice it. Diversity is one of our core values.”
AllTel, whose merger with 360
