FCC Chair Brendan Carr Continues the DEI Cleanup as T-Mobile Dismantles Its DEI Policies

Apr 3

By The Blog Source

As T-Mobile gets federal approval for a large fiber acquisition, it is reversing critical diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. The action follows the 47th President Donald Trump's executive order prohibiting federal DEI initiatives and comes in reaction to heightened scrutiny by the FCC under the direction of Commissioner Brendan Carr, who was nominated by Trump. The company's change demonstrates how companies are adjusting to the post-DEI reality that the Trump administration has brought forth.

T-Mobile modified and dropped several DEI efforts to get the FCC to approve its Lumos acquisition. Only a day after T-Mobile announced its DEI improvements, the FCC authorized the transaction. Trump's incoming FCC chair, Brendan Carr, has cautioned businesses that draconian DEI regulations may endanger government clearances.

The $950 million agreement between T-Mobile and EQT to purchase fiber provider Lumos has officially concluded, but the true story is what the business had to give up to get there. T-Mobile abruptly reversed course, dismantling several DEI practices just days before they received approval from federal regulators. The action is viewed as a calculated reaction to the new regulatory landscape that President Donald Trump and his supporters have created.

Trump's executive order from January 2025 abolished all federal DEI programs. In the days that followed, Trump went further, instructing agencies to investigate DEI mandates in the private sector that could potentially violate anti-discrimination legislation. That directive has been taken seriously by FCC Chair Brendan Carr. Carr said last week that he would prevent M&A transactions involving businesses that follow "invidious" DEI practices. Clearly, T-Mobile understood the message.

T-Mobile General Counsel Mark Nelson explained the changes in a letter to Carr. The business eliminated all race-based procurement goals, terminated targeted supplier diversity spending, and disbanded its External Diversity & Inclusion Councils. The company's current wording, which is more in line with American ideals of justice and free market competition, places more emphasis on merit-based contracting and small business support.

There was no mistaking the moment. The Lumos deal was cleared by the FCC's Wireline Competition Bureau just one day after the letter was received. T-Mobile swiftly completed the transaction and started describing its plan to provide fiber service to 3.5 million homes by 2028. Up to 15 million American households may eventually be served by this long-term objective, which is a component of a larger convergence strategy that integrates wired and wireless services by 2030.

T-Mobile is by no means alone in the way that Brendan Carr's influence is changing the corporate environment. Because he believes that Disney's and ABC's DEI policies may be in violation of federal anti-discrimination laws, Carr has also initiated investigations into these companies. Companies like Apple and Costco have steadfastly maintained their DEI programs, but T-Mobile is establishing a new standard that is consistent with the Trump administration's larger effort to do away with business policies that are politicized.

In an attempt to mitigate the firm's pullback from DEI, T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert insisted that the company continue to employ people "from all walks of life." However, that rhetoric is ineffective in light of the company's actual actions to discontinue identity-based services. Rather, the company is indicating to authorities and the American public that it is prepared to put legal compliance and financial performance ahead of political virtue signaling.

More businesses might follow suit now that the FCC is firmly in Republican hands and Trump's policies are starting to affect the private sector. The goal of T-Mobile's change is to survive in a new era of American governance that rejects the DEI status quo, not only to land a fiber agreement.

To join the Diamond and Silk Monthly Supporter Program, visit http://SupportDiamondandSilk.com.
Lindell TV, VOCL, ChatDit, Rumble, TruthSocial, and Diamond and Silk Media are all excellent ways to stay connected with Diamond and Silk.