T-Mobile is scrapping its diversity, equity and inclusion programs under pressure from President Donald Trump’s administration as it looks for regulators to green-light two major acquisitions.
In a letter to the Federal Communications Commission dated July 8, the wireless carrier said it would discontinue DEI policies “not just in name, but in substance.”
“We recognize that the legal and policy landscape surrounding DEI under federal law has changed,” T-Mobile wrote.
Among the changes: T-Mobile will no longer have roles or teams dedicated to DEI, has scrubbed references to DEI from its websites and its training materials and it has opened up training and other career development opportunities to all employees.
“Another good step forward for equal opportunity, nondiscrimination, and the public interest,” FCC Chair Brendan Carr said.
Carr, a Republican, has threatened to block deals involving companies engaged in DEI.
“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,” Carr said in an interview with Bloomberg News.
The FCC in May approved Verizon’s $20 billion deal to acquire Frontier Communications after it agreed to end its DEI program in line with Trump administration demands.
T-Mobile needs FCC approval to buy US Cellular’s wireless operations and internet service provider Metronet through a joint venture with KKR.
The backlash against DEI gained steam during the 2024 presidential election but hit a fever pitch when Trump took office. The private sector has rushed to distance itself from the policies it once trumpeted after the president threatened to strip federal contracts from companies that stood by their DEI programs.
Rushing to make changes were those with the most to lose: federal contractors and companies in highly regulated industries, such as telecommunications.
“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,” FCC commissioner Anna Gomez, a Democrat, wrote on X. “History will not be kind to this cowardly corporate capitulation.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why T-Mobile just hung up on DEI
