- Earlier this week AT&T said it was dropping all its DEI policies
- Then the FCC approved its purchase of spectrum from the former USCellular
- At this point, all 3 major U.S. wireless operators have ditched their DEI
It looks like Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Brendan Carr is continuing his crusade to demolish all Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) in the telecom space.
Earlier this week, AT&T announced it was dropping all its DEI policies. It wasn’t clear why AT&T would do this out of the blue. But yesterday, the FCC approved AT&T’s deal to buy about $1.02 billion in spectrum from the former USCellular.
The other two main U.S. wireless operators have already capitulated to Carr’s hatred of DEI.
In April, T-Mobile ditched its DEI policies in order to get its purchase of fiber provider Lumos approved.
In May, Verizon followed suit and eliminated its DEI policies in order to get approval for its purchase of Frontier Communications.
Now, the third domino has fallen in order for AT&T to get possession of valuable spectrum.
The deal with USCelullar was struck about a year ago. Since then, UScellular sold most of its wireless operations to T-Mobile on August 1 and has since changed its name to Array Digital Infrastructure.
The sale of spectrum to AT&T includes 3.45 GHz and 700 MHz B/C block licenses. This spectrum will likely enable AT&T to layer in better coverage on its existing 5G footprint.
The FCC order approving the sale of spectrum to AT&T said, “We recognize AT&T’s commitment to equal employment opportunity and nondiscrimination as strengthening its investment and service quality efforts. AT&T reaffirms this commitment and states that it has adjusted its employment and business practices, including as to its culture; career development, hiring, and mentorship; employee groups; suppliers; external, sector-specific surveys; and sponsorships. We accept AT&T’s commitments as firm and definite, and expect that these changes will prevent DEI discrimination in the post-transaction company, as consistent with the law and the public interest.”