T-Mobile scraps DEI while awaiting deal approvals from FCC

(NewsNation) — T-Mobile will eliminate its diversity, equity and inclusion programs as it awaits regulatory approval from the Federal Communications Commission for two acquisition deals.

In a letter to the FCC, the wireless carrier said it would end its DEI policies "not just in name, but in substance."

"T-Mobile will no longer have any individual roles or teams focused on DEI," the company said. "T-Mobile is also removing any references to DEI on its websites and will ensure that company websites and future communications do not have any references to DEI."

T-Mobile is awaiting federal approval of the partial acquisition of U.S. Cellular, a deal valued at $4.4 million, and the acquisition of internet service provider Metronet.

In a social media post, FCC chair Brendan Carr called the move "another good step forward for equal opportunity, nondiscrimination, and the public interest."

Carr has threatened to block deals involving companies with DEI initiatives, telling Bloomberg News that "any businesses that are looking for FCC approval, I would encourage them to get busy ending any sort of their invidious forms of DEI discrimination."

Several prominent companies have scaled back or set aside DEI initiatives in recent months, including Target, Amazon, McDonald's, Walmart, Ford and Meta Platforms. The FCC has previously gone after other companies, such as Comcast, for their DEI practices.

Anna M. Gomez, a Democratic-appointed member of the FCC, criticized T-Mobile's decision.

"In yet another cynical bid to win FCC regulatory approval, T-Mobile is making a mockery of its professed commitment to eliminating discrimination, promoting fairness, and amplifying underrepresented voices," Gomez wrote on X. "History will not be kind to this cowardly corporate capitulation."