Verizon is receiving pushback for upholding its DEI commitments.
As AFROTECH™ previously told you, pressures from conservative groups and efforts by President Donald Trump’s White House to dismantle DEI-related policies and programs have led major companies such as Meta, Amazon, and Google to follow suit.
“We’re committed to creating a workplace where all our employees can succeed and have equal opportunities, and over the last year, we’ve been reviewing our programs designed to help us get there,” a Google spokesperson told Business Insider in February.
Not all companies are shifting gears. In fact, Apple’s shareholders voted against a proposal that would dismiss its diversity and inclusion program in February 2025. Additionally, Verizon is maintaining its DEI stance and sees it as a vehicle for success.
“Verizon is committed to fostering an inclusive environment. We care about diversity in both our employees and our suppliers. Diversity and inclusion is how we achieve success,” a statement on the company website read. “By celebrating diversity across all spectrums, including but not limited to race, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, veteran/military status, and age, we are a stronger company and culture.”
It continued, “We take pride in our talented and diverse team of people who focus on our customers, every day. Their combined intelligence, spirit and creativity make Verizon a great place to work, learn and grow.”
Verizon’s stance is being frowned upon by Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr. According to Bloomberg, Carr, a Republican, is “pleased with the progress that different companies are making on this front” but is “concerned by the apparent lack of progress at Verizon.” He also wrote a letter to the company, aligning with conservative groups and individuals such as social media activist Robby Starbuck, who has influenced over 15 companies — including Walmart and Toyota Motor Corp. — to strip their DEI policies, per Bloomberg. Carr’s letter, which is similar to what he sent to Comcast Corp., states that Verizon’s policies don’t align with the direction of the Trump administration.
Carr also told Verizon that the company should reach out to the FCC staffers working on its acquisition deal of Frontier Communications to remedy the situation since they are the “personnel most familiar with Verizon’s operations.”
However, FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks, a Democrat, responded in an emailed statement, according to Bloomberg, “I strongly oppose conflating policy agendas with an unrelated transaction review. This is even more troubling given that the pleading cycle for this transaction has closed. Leveraging transaction reviews in this fashion sets a dangerous precedent and will only chill investment when it is sorely needed.”
Verizon has responded to Carr’s letter.
“We are aware of the chairman’s concerns. We look forward to engaging with the FCC staff on this issue. Verizon has always focused on having the best talent to deliver the best experiences to our customers,” it said, per Reuters.
