After targeting CBS News’ interview with Kamala Harris and probing the funding of NPR and PBS, FCC chair Brendan Carr’s next target for investigation is the DEI programs of Comcast and NBCUniversal.
Carr sent a letter to Comcast CEO Brian Roberts on Tuesday, informing the company that he’d be opening an investigation into their use of DEI programs.
“I am writing to inform you that I have asked the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau to open an investigation into Comcast and NBCUniversal,” Carr’s letter read. “In particular, I want to ensure that your companies are not promoting invidious forms of discrimination in violation of FCC regulations and civil rights laws.”
“I am starting this broader effort with Comcast and NBCUniversal for two reasons,” he wrote. “First, as noted above, there is substantial evidence that your companies are still engaging in the promotion of DEI. Second, your companies cover a range of sectors regulated by the FCC — from cable to high-speed Internet and from broadcast TV stations to MVNO [mobile virtual network operator] wireless offerings.”
Carr continued: “Therefore, I expect 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.”
In response, a Comcast spokesperson told TheWrap: “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.”
The investigation into Comcast and NBCUniversal comes after the Trump appointee demanded CBS News hand over unedited video and transcripts of their interview with Kamala Harris in October. CBS News not only complied, but also publicly released the unedited transcript to disprove claims that the video was edited as part of “news distortion.”
The move also comes as many organizations have voluntarily scaled back their own DEI programs after Donald Trump’s executive order terminating such programs in the federal workforce and in federal contracting and spending. Disney adjusted its DEI programs on Tuesday.
At the end of January, Carr ordered an investigation into the sponsorships of NPR and PBS stations, suggesting they may be in violation of government rules by acknowledging major donors on-air. He seeks to justify revoking the funding the outlets get from the federal government, a major part of the playbook for destroying NPR and PBS laid out in Project 2025. Though Trump claimed during the election that he had no ties to the group, which aims to radically remake U.S. government in starkly right wing, Christian and racist terms, his administration is packed with Project 2025 veterans — including Carr, who wrote the the group’s communications document.
Newsmax first reported news of Carr’s investigation into Comcast and NBCUniversal.
