Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr on Tuesday opened an investigation against Comcast and NBCUniversal for its promotion of diversity policies, or what he called “invidious forms of discrimination.”
“I am writing to inform you that I have asked the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau to open an investigation into Comcast and NBCUniversal,” Carr wrote in his letter to Comcast CEO Brian Roberts, which was obtained by Newsmax. “In particular, I want to ensure that your companies are not promoting invidious forms of discrimination in violation of FCC regulations and civil rights laws.”
After President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies government wide, Carr launched his agency-wide effort to ensure that every company the FCC regulates complies with civil rights protection by barring discrimination in the form of promoting DEI.
“I am starting this broader effort with Comcast and NBCUniversal for two reasons. First, as noted above, there is substantial evidence that your companies are still engaging in the promotion of DEI,” Carr explained.
“Second, your companies cover a range of sectors regulated by the FCC — from cable to high-speed internet and from broadcast TV stations to MVNO [mobile virtual network operator] wireless offerings,” he continued.
“Therefore, 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,” the FCC chairman remarked.
Carr explained in the letter that Comcast’s corporate DEI policies are “invidious” and “cannot be squared with any reasonable interpretation of federal law.”
“Comcast states on its website that promoting DEI is ‘a core value of our business’ and public reports state that Comcast has an entire ‘DEI infrastructure’ that includes annual ‘DEI day[s],’ ‘DEI training for company leaders,’ and similar initiatives,” the leader of the FCC said.
“NBCUniversal has similar DEI initiatives, including executives specifically dedicated to promoting DEI across the TV and programming side of the business,” he added.
“But promoting invidious forms of discrimination cannot be squared with any reasonable interpretation of federal law,” he said.
“We have received an inquiry from the Federal Communications Commission and will be cooperating with the FCC to answer their questions. For decades, our company has been built on a foundation of integrity and respect for all of our employees and customers,” Comcast said in a statement to Newsmax.
Right after the start of Trump’s administration, Carr announced the termination of the agency’s Biden-era DEI policies.
“Today, as Chairman of the FCC, I am ending the FCC’s promotion of DEI and will focus our work on competently carrying out the FCC’s statutory mission,” he wrote on January 21.
Sean Moran is a policy reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on X @SeanMoran3.
