Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Brendan Carr has launched an investigation into Comcast’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) practices, as reported by Newsmax. Comcast spokesperson Joelle Terry stated, “We have received an inquiry from the Federal Communications Commission and will be cooperating with the FCC to answer their questions,” as noted by The Verge.
Carr expressed that the FCC is looking for indications that Comcast’s initiatives may have breached federal employment laws. He stated, “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 sectors regulated by the FCC.”
Since assuming leadership of the FCC last month, Carr has indicated a willingness to revoke broadcast licenses from companies such as Disney and CBS if they broadcast content perceived as unfavorable to Trump and conservative viewpoints. Additionally, he has initiated investigations into NPR and PBS for running “commercials,” a move that fellow Commissioner Anna Gomez described to The Verge as a Trump administration strategy to weaponize FCC authority. Notably, Carr was appointed during the Trump administration and authored a chapter in Project 2025 outlining how the FCC should regulate large corporations.
Comcast, in addition to its cable, wireless, and internet services, owns a substantial number of broadcasters, including NBC Universal, the streaming service Peacock, and others. (Disclosure: Comcast is also an investor in Vox Media, the parent company of The Verge.)
Under the new Trump administration, numerous companies are proactively downsizing their DEI initiatives to prevent becoming targets. Following an executive order on January 20th, which labeled DEI as a corrupting influence that creates “a divisive and dangerous preferential hierarchy,” companies like Meta had already disbanded their diversity team, while Amazon began winding down some DEI programs, and Google followed suit less than a week ago .
