T-Mobile Drops DEI Policies Following FCC Announcement
T-Mobile has decided to eliminate its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, aligning itself with Verizon under the direction of the Trump administration.
This information was shared by Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Kerr, who mentioned it in a letter to the FCC. The filing noted that “T-Mobile will no longer have specific roles and teams dedicated to DEI.”
A letter from T-Mobile’s executive vice president, Mark Nelson, indicated that the company plans to “remove all DEI references from employee training materials,” shifting focus instead to core business goals and anti-discrimination guidance without mentioning DEI.
T-Mobile did not provide a comment when approached for a response.
Kerr described T-Mobile’s move as “another good step for equal opportunities, non-discrimination, and public interest.”
Will Hild, director of consumer research, weighed in, stating, “@brendancarrfcc’s big win here is that T-Mobile, a German company, has been pushing leftist EU policies in the U.S. This kind of thing shouldn’t be tolerated, and I’m glad to see Chairman Kerr push back against this European influence.”
The changes mirrored Verizon’s announcement in May, which was characterized as “easy and effective” and aligned with a previous letter from Kerr. It seems that Verizon also aims to move away from DEI initiatives.
Verizon’s Chief Justice Vendana Venkatesh had mentioned in May that the company was not just changing names but was actually transforming how they implement these practices.
However, FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez commented that T-Mobile’s decision appears to be a contradictory effort to secure FCC approval, undermining their publicly stated commitments to combat discrimination and uplift underrepresented voices.
Gomez tweeted, calling this move by T-Mobile an ironic attempt to seek regulatory approval, “laughing at its reinforced commitment to eliminate discrimination and promote equity.”
Since taking office, former President Donald Trump has been actively working to remove DEI from educational settings, including directing the Labor Bureau to adjust federal contract terms related to conduct.
