FCC’s Brendan Carr orders probe into Comcast’s DEI policies
Brendan Carr, chair of the Federal Communications Commission, has asked his agency to launch an investigation into Comcast’s DEI policies — setting off alarm bells for other media conglomerates with diversity programs.
On Tuesday, Carr warned Comcast CEO Brian Roberts that the FCC will be looking into whether the cable giant — which owns NBCUniversal — is breaking federal law, specifically the Equal Employment Opportunity Act, by running DEI programs, according to a letter obtained by The Post.
“Every single business that’s regulated by the FCC … I trust that they have now got the message that the time to end their invidious forms of DEI discrimination is now,” Carr told The Post.
The probe comes as President Trump has cracked down on DEI programs, banning the policies at the federal level on his first day in office and calling for private firms to follow suit.
The agency will be evaluating Comcast’s and NBCUniversal’s many DEI practices, including DEI days and training programs, Carr wrote in the letter.
“We have received an inquiry from the Federal Communications Commission and will be cooperating with the FCC to answer their questions,” a Comcast spokesperson told The Post in a statement. “For decades, our company has been built on a foundation of integrity and respect for all of our employees and customers.”
Carr said the agency was starting with Comcast because the company “touches so many of our sectors.” The company operates cable, wireless and internet services, and owns broadcasters like NBCUniversal and the streaming service Peacock.
The FCC chair said he expects every single entity overseen by the agency to end any discriminatory DEI policies — and hinted that companies that fail to do so could face regulatory hurdles when it comes to dealmaking.
“I have a very hard time seeing how a business is going to get FCC approval while maintaining invidious forms of discrimination,” Carr told The Post.
He did not confirm whether all FCC-regulated companies with DEI policies should expect to be slapped with investigations, but said there are “lots of different options on the table,” including letters and enforcement warnings.
“If they haven’t already, they need to be doing their due diligence,” Carr said.
Since taking the helm at the FCC last month, Carr has reinstated bias complaints lodged against ABC, NBC and CBS, which accused them of being partial to Democrat Kamala Harris in their coverage of the presidential campaign.
The DEI clampdown comes as a number of companies — including Walmart, Target, Meta and Amazon — have backtracked on their diversity policies.
Most recently, Google and Disney have walked back some of their DEI programs after Trump took office.
