July 10, 2025
FCC Chair Brendan Carr stated, “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.”
T-Mobile has announced it is dismantling its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives as it seeks approval from federal regulators for two major acquisitions. The wireless carrier confirmed the DEI decision in a July 8 letter to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), citing shifts in the federal legal and policy landscape under President Donald Trump’s administration.
“We recognize that the legal and policy landscape surrounding DEI under federal law has changed,” the company stated in the letter, pledging to eliminate DEI efforts “not just in name, but in substance.”
As part of the changes, T-Mobile will no longer maintain dedicated DEI roles or teams, and references to DEI have been scrubbed from company websites and training materials.
T-Mobile also announced that all training and career development programs would now be accessible to all employees, without prioritizing diversity-focused criteria.
FCC Chair Brendan Carr, a Republican and vocal critic of DEI policies, praised the decision.
“Another good step forward for equal opportunity, nondiscrimination, and the public interest,” Carr said. He has previously warned companies that DEI initiatives could jeopardize regulatory approval for mergers and acquisitions.
In an interview with Bloomberg News, Carr added: “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.”
The move comes as T-Mobile seeks FCC approval to acquire US Cellular’s wireless operations and internet service provider Metronet, through a joint venture with investment firm KKR.
The decision mirrors a similar case earlier this year when Verizon secured approval for its $20 billion acquisition of Frontier Communications after agreeing to dismantle its own DEI programs.
Opposition to DEI efforts has intensified since Trump returned to office, with the administration threatening to withdraw federal contracts from companies that continue to support such policies. As a result, many corporations, especially those in highly regulated sectors like telecommunications, have distanced themselves from previously celebrated DEI commitments.
Democratic FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez criticized T-Mobile’s move in a passionate post on X.
“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,” she wrote.
“History will not be kind to this cowardly corporate capitulation.”
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