MW FCC set to investigate media giant Comcast over diversity commitments and says it could shut down DEI programs elsewhere

By Bill Peters

Comcast says it 'will be cooperating with the FCC to answer their questions'

The Federal Communications Commission said it plans to open an investigation into cable and internet giant Comcast Corp. and its NBCUniversal subsidiary over diversity, equity and inclusion programs, citing concerns about what the agency characterized as "discrimination."

In a letter to the company dated Tuesday, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said, "I want to ensure that your companies are not promoting invidious forms of discrimination in violation of FCC regulations and civil rights laws."

He also pointed to Comcast's public statements about DEI, as well as NBC Universal's efforts to promote DEI-related practices in its television business, as areas for concern. And he said that the commission could take action against other entities within its oversight.

Comcast $(CMCSA)$, in a statement, said it would cooperate with the inquiry.

"We have received an inquiry from the Federal Communications Commission and will be cooperating with the FCC to answer their questions," a Comcast representative said. "For decades, our company has been built on a foundation of integrity and respect for all of our employees and customers."

The move by the congressionally overseen independent agency is running in parallel to President Donald Trump's efforts to eliminate DEI from the federal government and recent legal actions he has taken against the press. In an executive order last month, Trump directed government agencies "to take strong action to end private sector DEI discrimination, including civil compliance investigations."

The FCC's move follows a retreat from DEI in the corporate world, amid a backlash on the political right to practices promoting diversity, equity and inclusiveness and in the wake of a Supreme Court ruling in 2023 that ended affirmative action in college admissions.

In the letter to Comcast, Carr, a co-author of "Project 2025," said, "I am concerned that Comcast and NBCUniversal may be promoting invidious forms of DEI in a manner that does not comply with FCC regulations."

In the letter, Carr cited, among other things, a part of Comcast's website that underscores its commitment to DEI and efforts at NBCUniversal, "including executives specifically dedicated to promoting DEI across the TV and programming side of the business."

The FCC regulates communications via television and cable, among other media. Carr, in the letter, said the Communications Act and agency rules "prohibit regulated entities - like Comcast and NBCUniversal - from discriminating on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, age, or gender."

Recently, the FCC opened an investigation into NPR and PBS over the way the public broadcasters air information about sponsorships. CBS News recently turned over to the agency transcripts and footage of a "60 Minutes" interview with Kamala Harris, the Democratic former vice president whom Trump defeated in November's presidential election, which is central to a lawsuit by Trump accusing the network of deceptive editing.

From the archives (October 2024): Trump's excuses for backing out of traditional '60 Minutes' interview have been inconsistent, says CBS

CBS parent Paramount Global (PARA) is reportedly weighing a settlement, even as media experts have widely observed that nothing out of the ordinary appeared to have occurred in the editing for broadcast of the Harris interview.

The letter from the FCC stated that the agency itself had already pulled back from DEI.

"As a next step, the FCC will be taking fresh action to ensure that every entity the FCC regulates complies with the civil rights protections enshrined in the Communications Act and the agency's EEO rules, including by shutting down any programs that promote invidious forms of DEI discrimination," Carr's letter said.

Carr later added that he expected "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 of the sectors the FCC regulates."

Shares of Comcast were down about 0.5% late Wednesday.

-Bill Peters

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February 12, 2025 15:30 ET (20:30 GMT)

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