WideOpenWest - 1792 Exchange

Rating Overview

WideOpenWest is Medium Risk.

WideOpenWest is Medium Risk. The company often yields to political activism in shaping corporate governance, potentially alienating consumers, dividing employees, and harming shareholders. The company implements race and identity-based policies that replace merit, excellence, and integrity with preferential treatment and outcomes. The company occasionally embraces corporate initiatives that redirect its central focus from business goals to partisan policies and divisive issues at times. This approach fails to safeguard free exercise, free speech, and free enterprise.

Rating Criteria

Corporate Weaponization Risk Levels
Criteria	Risk Level
Cancellations	Medium Risk
Discriminatory Philanthropy	Lower Risk
Employment Protection	High Risk

Corporate Weaponization ⓘ

Corporate Governance and Public Policy Risk Levels
Criteria	Risk Level
Advocacy Bias	Medium Risk
Funding	Lower Risk
Political Actions	No Data

Corporate Governance and Public Policy ⓘ

Rating Criteria Detail

Criteria Risk Level Rationale

Corporate Weaponization

Criteria:

Has canceled customers, suppliers, or vendors due to their political views or religious beliefs OR corporately boycotts, divests, or sanctions regions, people groups, or industries.

Risk Level:

Medium

Rationale:

WideOpenWest integrates ESG into its business practices. From its 2022 Sustainability Report: “On behalf of the hardworking employees at WOW!, it is my pleasure to introduce our inaugural 2022 Sustainability Report. This report details our culture and value system and highlights how we explicitly and holistically incorporate our ESG framework into our relationships with customers, employees and other stakeholders” (1). However, the Company has not canceled customers, suppliers, or vendors based on political views or religious beliefs (2).

Criteria:

Charitable giving (including employee matching programs) policies or practices discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or religious beliefs.

Risk Level:

Lower

Rationale:

WideOpenWest does not appear to discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or beliefs (1).

Criteria:

Employment policies fail to protect against viewpoint or other discrimination and/or are ideological in nature.

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

WideOpenWest required its executives to take DEI training (1). It appears to prioritize diversity over merit in its recruitment. From its 2022 Sustainability Report: “Our DEI approach is underpinned by our desire to attract and recruit from a large, diverse talent pool… We seek similar cultural fits when engaging with suppliers, communities and our customers” (2). The Company does not provide viewpoint protections for its employees (3).

Corporate Governance and Public Policy

Criteria:

Uses corporate reputation to support causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level:

Medium

Rationale:

WideOpenWest supports DEI within its business practices. From its 2022 Sustainability Report: “We believe our broadband-first strategy requires a people-first organizational strategy embracing our DEI initiatives. The Journey is built on our values and culture as an organization and is implemented by a management team that participates in a DEI Foundational Training program. Our DEI approach is underpinned by our desire to attract and recruit from a large, diverse talent pool. We provide employees with an inclusive workplace culture in which they can develop professionally. We seek similar cultural fits when engaging with suppliers, communities and our customers” (1). Otherwise, the company has not supported ideological causes or policies (2).

Criteria:

Uses corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level:

Lower

Rationale:

WideOpenWest has not used corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies (1).

Criteria:

Uses corporate political actions and/or financial contributions for ideological, non-business purposes.

Risk Level:

N/A

Rationale:

WideOpenWest does not operate a PAC or engage in lobbying at this time (1)(2)(3).