The Federal Communications Commission opened an investigation Tuesday into NBC News hiring practices — the the agency’s first major enforcement action following President Donald Trump’s executive orders targeting racist DEI programs.
“President Trump is leading America away from the scourge of invidious DEI discrimination and ensuring that everyone in this country has a fair shot at succeeding,” FCC Chairman Brendan Carr told Fox News Digital.
“Discriminatory DEI programs cannot be squared with this country’s civil rights laws.”
In a letter to Comcast CEO Brian Roberts, which owns NBC News, Carr cited the company’s “DEI infrastructure” including annual DEI days, leadership training, and dedicated executives as potentially violating federal regulations on racial discrimination in the workplace.
“I am writing to inform you that I have asked the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau to open an investigation into Comcast and NBCUniversal,” Carr wrote. “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.”
Comcast promised to cooperate with the Trump administration’s investigation.
“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.”
Democratic FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez criticized the investigation, calling a probe into racist hiring practices part of “partisan culture wars.”
“Stoking partisan culture wars is not the FCC’s job,” she said. “It is time we return to our core mission – closing the digital divide, fostering innovation, and protecting consumers.”
The investigation targets Comcast’s multiple regulated sectors, including cable, internet, broadcast television and wireless services. Carr noted this broad reach influenced the decision to investigate Comcast first among media companies.
“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,” Carr wrote, “including by shutting down any programs that promote invidious forms of DEI discrimination.”
The probe follows similar FCC investigations into CBS News, ABC News, and NBC’s entertainment programming. Last week, the agency released transcripts from a controversial “60 Minutes” interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris, which was heavily edited by the network and released right before the election.