Verizon announced on Friday that it is ending its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs following a probe by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
In February, FCC Chair Brendan Carr sent Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg a letter demanding that the company end its DEI policies in compliance with President Trump’s order against the discriminatory efforts.
Verizon said in a response letter that upon evaluating “DEI-related programs, HR process, supplier programs, training programs and materials,” the company “recognizes that some DEI policies and practices could be associated with discrimination.”
“For that reason, Verizon reaffirms its practices and ending its DEI-related policies,” the company said, going on to describe shifts in its HR structure, training, supplier diversity metrics, employee research groups, and hiring goals.
“Verizon has now agreed to end its DEI policies as specified in a new FCC filing,” Carr wrote on X, sharing the letter. “These changes are effective immediately. A good step forward for equal opportunity, nondiscrimination, and the public interest.”
Trump’s January executive order targeting DEI initiatives states that such policies “not only violate the text and spirit of our longstanding Federal civil-rights laws, they also undermine our national unity, as they deny, discredit, and undermine the traditional American values of hard work, excellence, and individual achievement in favor of an unlawful, corrosive, and pernicious identity-based spoils system.”
“Hardworking Americans who deserve a shot at the American Dream should not be stigmatized, demeaned, or shut out of opportunities because of their race or sex,” the order says.
The FCC is also investigating Disney and its ABC network over concerns that the company is engaging in DEI practices.
