FCC to investigate Comcast for having DEI programs

Federal Communications Chair Brendan Carr has asked his agency to investigate Comcast’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) practices, as first reported by Newsmax. “We have received an inquiry from the Federal Communications Commission and will be cooperating with the FCC to answer their questions,” Comcast spokesperson Joelle Terry confirms to The Verge.

Carr writes in the letter that the FCC is looking for signs that the company’s initiatives have violated federal employment law, writing: “I expect that this investigation into Comcast and its NBCUniversal operations will aid the commission’s broader efforts to root out invidious forms of DEI discrimination across all of the sectors the FCC regulates.”

Since taking control of the FCC last month, Carr has threatened to pull broadcast licenses of companies like Disney and CBS for airing content that’s not friendly to Trump and conservatives. He has also ordered investigations into NPR and PBS for “airing commercials,” which fellow Commissioner Anna Gomez told The Verge was a Trump administration “effort to weaponize the power of the FCC.” Carr was a Trump appointee, and he wrote the Project 2025 chapter on how the FCC should rein in big companies.

In addition to its cable, wireless, and internet services, Comcast owns a swath of broadcasters, including NBC Universal, streaming service Peacock, and many others. (Disclosure: Comcast is also an investor in Vox Media, The Verge’s parent company.)

Under the new Trump administration, many companies are proactively winding down their DEI programs seemingly to avoid becoming targets. By the time an executive order on January 20th declared DEI was a corrupting force creating “a divisive and dangerous preferential hierarchy,” Meta had already disbanded its diversity team and Amazon had wound down some DEI programs; Google joined them less than a week ago.

Update February 12th: Embedded the FCC letter.