AT&T has declared the discontinuation of its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives to curry favor with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The corporation is pursuing FCC approval for a billion-dollar spectrum license acquisition planned for 2024 and pledged to lessen its DEI efforts earlier this year. In a correspondence to the agency, AT&T mentioned that it has eliminated all positions, employee groups, and programs associated with DEI policies.

“The legal framework surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion (‘DEI’) policies and initiatives has shifted,” the company mentioned. “AT&T has always supported merit-based opportunity, and we are happy to reaffirm our dedication to equal employment opportunity and nondiscrimination today.”

This decision aligns with a pattern in the telecommunications industry, where firms are dissolving DEI programs to align with the FCC’s position. The FCC, chaired by Trump appointee Brendan Carr, has been advocating for the removal of DEI initiatives across the sector. In May, Verizon concluded its DEI policies to secure a $20 billion offer for Frontier Communications, excising DEI references from documents and discontinuing diversity hiring bonuses. T-Mobile also eliminated DEI initiatives in July to finalize two agreements with the FCC.

Carr has previously launched anti-DEI inquiries into major entertainment and broadcasting corporations, including Disney and ABC, as well as publicly funded media like NPR and PBS. The agency has also cut affordable broadband and fiber-optic programs that support low-income and rural communities, as part of the Trump administration’s opposition to Biden-Harris equity initiatives.

AT&T has been at the forefront of affordable connectivity efforts, such as providing fiber-optic broadband to Indigenous communities and pledging to bridge the digital divide. “Companies should keep in mind that forsaking fairness and inclusion for immediate benefits will tarnish their reputation well into the future,” stated FCC Democrat Anna Gomez in response to AT&T’s announcement.