T-Mobile and AT&T scrap DEI programs to secure billion-dollar FCC deals
Major US telecom companies have adjusted their policies to secure regulatory approval for multi-billion-dollar deals. Under the Trump administration, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) required firms to abandon diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programmes before greenlighting transactions. Both AT&T and T-Mobile US have now complied with this condition.
In November 2024, T-Mobile US signed a $1.02 billion agreement to buy mobile spectrum licences from US Cellular. This deal took place while Joe Biden was still president. However, a second, larger transaction—a $4.4 billion acquisition of US Cellular’s wireless operations—required FCC approval under the Trump administration. To secure this, T-Mobile agreed to dismantle its DEI initiatives.
AT&T followed a similar path. The company reached a $1.02 billion deal to purchase wireless spectrum licences from US Cellular, also pending FCC approval. In a formal letter to regulators, AT&T confirmed it would eliminate all DEI-focused roles. The statement declared that the company 'does not and will not have any roles focused on DEI'.
Both transactions highlight how regulatory demands under the Trump-era FCC reshaped corporate policies. Telecom firms prioritised deal completion by aligning with the administration’s stance on DEI programmes.
The FCC’s conditions under Trump led to the removal of DEI programmes at two of the US’s largest telecom providers. AT&T and T-Mobile US finalised their spectrum and operational purchases only after confirming the end of these initiatives. The deals, worth billions, moved forward once the companies met the regulatory requirements.
