T-Mobile is ending policies related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) as the wireless carrier awaits regulatory approval for two deals.
The Bellevue, Wash.-based company said in a letter to Federal Trade Commission Chairman Brendan Carr that it will “no longer have any individual roles or teams focused on DEI” and is removing any references to DEI from its website and employee training materials.
“We have conducted a comprehensive review of T-Mobile’s policies, programs, and activities, and pursuant to this review, T-Mobile is ending its DEI-related policies as described below, not just in name, but in substance,” T-Mobile general counsel Mark Nelson wrote in the letter made public Wednesday (read in full below).
In a statement on X, Carr said the move was “another good step forward for equal opportunity, nondiscrimination, and the public interest.”
Anna Gomez, FCC commissioner, struck a different tone.
“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,” Gomez said on X. “History will not be kind to this cowardly corporate capitulation.”
T-Mobile has two pending deals that need FCC approval: an acquisition of nearly all of U.S. Cellular, and a joint venture with KKR to acquire fiber company Metronet.
Carr, appointed to lead the FCC by President Trump in November, told Bloomberg in March that he was prepared to block M&A proposals from companies that promote “invidious” DEI policies.
Earlier this year, T-Mobile updated its policies related to DEI amid FCC approval for its deal to acquire fiber provider Lumos.
Verizon, which is awaiting approval for its acquisition of Frontier Communications, ended its DEI policies in May.
Tech companies including Amazon and Meta have also scaled back their diversity programs since November’s election and directives from the Trump administration to eliminate federal government initiatives that promote DEI.
GeekWire reached out to T-Mobile and will update this story if we hear back.
T-Mobile ends policies related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) by GeekWire on Scribd
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