FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has launched an investigation of Comcast‘s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, claiming that the programs may violate equal employment opportunity laws.
A Comcast spokesperson said, “We have received an inquiry from the Federal Communications Commission and will be cooperating with the FCC to answer their questions. For decades, our company has been built on a foundation of integrity and respect for all of our employees and customers.”
Newsmax first reported on the letter, citing that Carr wrote to CEO Brian Roberts that he wanted “to ensure that your companies are not promoting invidious forms of discrimination in violation of FCC regulations and civil rights laws.”
Carr also indicated that the investigation is part of a broader effort to target DEI programs at the companies that the FCC regulates, extending the Trump administration’s attack on diversity efforts to the private sector.
Watch on Deadline
A spokesperson for Carr did not return a request for comment.
Carr was appointed as chairman by Donald Trump, who has made it a priority of his administration to eliminate DEI programs throughout the federal government or, in the case of PBS, federal funding. But Trump’s attacks also have had an impact on the private sector. The Walt Disney Co. announced changes to its diversity efforts earlier today, while other companies like Target have scaled back such programs.
Comcast promotes its DEI programs on its corporate website, featuring a photo from Wicked showing one of the characters, Nessarose, who uses an Ozian wheelchair.
“We believe that a diverse, equitable, and inclusive company is a more innovative and successful one. Across our workforce, products, and content, we embrace diversity of background, perspective, culture, and experience, and together with our partners, we are working to fight injustice against any race, ethnicity, gender or sexual identity, disability, or veteran status,” Comcast says on its website.
Other parts of Comcast have set diversity goals, including NBC News Group, which under CEO Cesar Conde announced an effort in 2020 to reach an employment base of 50% of news organization employees to be women and 50% of the total workforce be people of color
Carr also has opened inquiries into PBS and NPR sponsorships, and set for public comment on a complaint over how CBS’ 60 Minutes edited an interview with Kamala Harris.
The post FCC Chairman Brendan Carr Targets Comcast As Part Of Broader Effort To Investigate Corporate DEI Policies appeared first on Deadline.
