The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is planning to open an investigation into Comcast, the parent company of NBC Universal, over its Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) policies.
In a letter to Comcast chairman Brian Roberts dated Tuesday, FCC Chair Brendan Carr said the goal of the investigation is to “ensure that your companies are not promoting invidious forms of discrimination in violation of FCC and civil rights laws.”
“Following President Trump’s executive actions, we have ended the FCC’s promotion of DEI,” Carr wrote in a social media post on Wednesday publicizing the letter. “And the FCC will be taking steps to ensure that every company the FCC regulates complies with the civil rights protections enshrined in the Communications Act and agency rules. We are starting with Comcast for the reasons set forth in my letter.”
In his letter, Carr noted that on Comcast’s website the company lists DEI as a “core value” of its businesses and has promoted these values across its television and cable arms.
Carr’s letter comes as Comcast looks to spin off its vast cable assets by the end of the year, a major endeavor that would lead to sales that need approval from government regulators to go through successfully.
Comcast did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A number of major companies have already significantly scaled back DEI efforts in the wake of President Trump’s executive order on the issue, including McDonald’s, Meta, Walmart, Harley-Davidson, John Deere and Lowe’s.
Public broadcaster PBS announced this week it would close its DEI office amid pressure from the Trump administration.
