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Press Release 04-05-2011

Broadband Company Pays $60,000 To Settle EEOC Race And National Origin Discrimination Suit

Federal Agency Charged Black Tanzanian Network Analyst Was Fired While White Counterpart Was Merely Disciplined

ATLANTA – Integrated Broadband Services, a provider of operational support software and back office services deployed by cable and broadband operators worldwide, will pay $60,000 to settle a race and national origin discrimination lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today.

In its lawsuit, filed on Sept. 28, 2010, in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Atlanta Division (Case No.: 1:10-CV-03106), the EEOC charged that a black Tanzanian network analyst was fired for leaving work 30 minutes early. However, a similarly situated white network analyst received only a written discipline after leaving work two hours early, twice in one week.

Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employers from subjecting employees to discrimination and disparate treatment due to race, color, religion, sex or national origin. The EEOC filed suit after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process.

The consent decree settling the suit, in addition to the monetary relief, includes provisions for equal employment opportunity training and reporting and posting of anti-discrimination notices. In the suit and consent decree, Integrated Broadband Services denied any liability or wrongdoing.

"The EEOC filed this lawsuit because the difference in treatment between these employees was clear, and a woman lost her livelihood due to this discrimination," said Robert Dawkins, regional attorney for the EEOC's Atlanta District Office. "It is plainly illegal to treat employees differently because of their race or national origin. This resolution, we trust, will prevent such disparate treatment in the future."

The EEOC enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. Further information about the EEOC is available on its web site at www.eeoc.gov.