Verizon Ends DEI Programs as FCC Reviews $9.6B Frontier Deal

WASHINGTON, May 16, 2025 – Verizon has announced the termination of its diversity, equity, and inclusion programs amid regulatory scrutiny from the Federal Communications Commission as it seeks approval for its $9.6 billion acquisition of Frontier Communications.

In a letter to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, Verizon stated it would remove DEI references from its website, employee training, hiring, career development, and supplier diversity strategies. The company also plans to eliminate workforce diversity goals and drop management compensation elements tied to increasing minority and female representation .

“The regulatory and policy landscape surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion has changed,” the letter, signed by Verizon’s chief legal officer Vandana Venkatesh, stated. “In response, Verizon has been evaluating its DEI-related programs… recogniz[ing] that some DEI policies and practices could be associated with discrimination.”

The move follows a February letter from Carr to Verizon raising concerns about Verizon's DEI practices. In a January interview, he warned that such initiatives could jeopardize regulatory approval of the Frontier deal.

“I would encourage anybody that's trying to get a transaction through the FCC right now to move with all deliberate speed to identify any invidious forms of DEI discrimination that their company has been promoting and end it immediately,” Carr said at the time.

On Friday, Carr praised Verizon’s decision in a post to X, calling it “a step forward for equal opportunity, nondiscrimination, and the public interest.”

The shift reflects broader changes across the federal government, which has been systematically dismantling DEI policies since the start of Donald Trump’s second term. On his first day back in office, Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to root out corporate DEI policies he labeled as discriminatory.

Soon after, Carr announced the elimination of all DEI initiatives within the FCC itself, removing diversity references from the agency’s strategic plan and budget, and disbanding its internal DEI task forces.

Carr’s February letter to Verizon drew swift criticism from Democratic FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks, who accused him of politicizing the merger review process.

“I strongly oppose conflating policy agendas with an unrelated transaction review,” Starks said in response. “This is even more troubling given that the pleading cycle for this transaction has closed. Leveraging transaction reviews in this fashion sets a dangerous precedent and will only chill investment when it is sorely needed.”

Carr had previously launched a similar probe into Comcast's DEI practices, another move which prompted immediate pushback from Starks. “From what I know, this enforcement action is out of our lane and out of our reach,” Starks said at the time.