After Verizon agreed to end its diversity, equity and inclusion policies, the FCC — led by Trump-appointed chairman Brendan Carr — approved the telco’s $20 billion deal to acquire Frontier Communications.
Verizon’s pledge to end DEI was outlined in a May 15 letter to the commission, which Carr shared on X Friday. “A good step forward for equal opportunity, nondiscrimination, and the public interest,” the FCC chairman wrote. Shortly after he posted that, the FCC announced the approval of the Verizon-Frontier merger.
The green light for Verizon-Frontier comes as the $8 billion deal to merge Paramount Global and Skydance Media remains pending FCC approval — possibly over DEI issues.
In March, Carr said he would block M&A deals for companies that promote DEI programs as he helps execute President Trump’s aggressive anti-DEI agenda. Paramount in February said it was changing some of its DEI programs to comply with the Trump administration’s directives. Last month, the Wall Street Journal reported that Paramount was meeting with FCC officials to negotiate a “commitment that the company continues to abstain from particular corporate diversity issues.”
On Friday, the FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau approved Verizon’s deal to buy Frontier, which was announced in September 2024, by granting a series of applications that transfer FCC licenses and authorizations. As part of the announcement, the agency said, Verizon has “committed to ending DEI-related practices as specified in the FCC’s record and has reaffirmed the merged entity’s commitment to equal opportunity and nondiscrimination.”
In the May 15 letter to Carr, Verizon EVP and chief legal officer Vandana Venkatesh wrote in part that the company “has been evaluating its DEI-related programs, HR processes, supplier programs, training programs and materials, and other initiatives. In doing so, Verizon recognizes that some DEI policies and practices could be associated with discrimination. For that reason, Verizon reaffirms its commitment to equal employment opportunity and nondiscrimination and is modifying its practices and ending its DEI-related policies.”
Carr said in a statement that Verizon’s deal for Frontier “will unleash billions of dollars in new infrastructure builds in communities across the country — including rural America. This investment will accelerate the transition away from old, copper line networks to modern, high-speed ones. And it delivers for America’s tower and telecom crews who do the hard, often gritty work needed to build high-speed networks.”
According to the FCC, with the deal approval, Verizon will be able to upgrade and expand Frontier’s existing network in 25 states, bringing more fiber to more communities. Following the transaction, Verizon expects to deploy fiber to 1 million or more U.S. homes annually.
The deal will return to Verizon assets it had previously sold to Frontier. In 2016, Verizon completed a $10.5 billion deal to sell its TV and internet landline businesses in California, Texas and Florida to Frontier. And in 2009, Verizon sold landline businesses in 14 states in “predominantly rural areas” to Frontier for $8.6 billion.
