Verizon Cowardly Capitulates to Trump and Carr’s Racist Bullying
WASHINGTON — On Friday, the Federal Communications Commission, under the direction of President Trump’s FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, approved Verizon’s acquisition of Frontier Communications. The deal hands control of Frontier’s telecommunications networks in 25 states to Verizon, further consolidating a broadband industry with limited choices and exorbitant prices for consumers.
The price tag of the deal, however, is much higher than the $20 billion announced by the two companies. Buried in the FCC’s approval order, but proudly touted in the agency’s press release, is the claim that Verizon got the deal done only after promising to end its diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Verizon announced its surrender of these programs in a letter filed with the FCC just a day before receiving the FCC’s blessing — seemingly triggering instant approval of the deal.
Free Press Vice President of Policy Matt Wood said:
“Verizon’s cowardly decision to modify or kill its diversity, equity and inclusion practices is the latest shameful episode in a litany of surrenders to appease our authoritarian president. The government alleges no specific instances of unlawful employment discrimination, and Verizon admits none. Yet to win a merger approval and the prospect of a few extra dollars, the company meekly suggests that some of its ‘DEI policies and practices could be associated with discrimination’ — lawyer-speak for we’ve done nothing wrong, but we can see which way the political winds are blowing.
“Verizon is not the main villain in this drama. That distinction goes to President Trump and his hatchet man, Brendan Carr. We’re witnessing the spectacle of an FCC Chairman — who once defended his agency’s independence from the White House when a Democrat was in charge — now gleefully carrying out the president’s orders to roll back civil-rights protections and equal-opportunity gains at all costs.
“For no other reason than overt racism and fake grievances, we have an administration that falsely cloaks itself in free speech telling American businesses what they can and cannot say. That’s why Verizon explains in the letter the company’s decision to remove all references to diversity, equity and inclusion in its public messaging.
“The results are immediately apparent on Verizon’s corporate website, which for the last several years contained a retrospective on the company’s response in the aftermath of George Floyd’s horrific murder. That content is still available thanks to internet archive sites, but the URL on Verizon’s site at present simply says ‘page not found.’ It has gone missing — just like Verizon’s spine, its commitment to corporate responsibility, and its erstwhile concern for Black lives and the communities it serves.”