


The Federal Communications Commission is investigating whether NBCUniversal and its parent company Comcast are violating federal law with their diversity policies, the latest news broadcasting company to face scrutiny under the Trump administration.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said the commission plans to look at all regulated media companies, citing President Trump’s executive order last month directing federal agencies to deter “illegal discrimination or preferences” stemming from diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the private sector.
“Following President Trump’s executive actions, we have ended the FCC’s promotion of DEI,” said Mr. Carr on X. “And the FCC will be taking steps to ensure that every company the FCC regulates complies with the civil rights protections enshrined in the Communications Act and agency rules. We are starting with Comcast.”
In a Tuesday letter, Mr. Carr told Comcast CEO Brian Roberts that there is “substantial evidence that your companies are still engaging in the promotion of DEI.”
Comcast’s holdings encompass a wide range of media-related services, including high-speed internet, cable and broadcast television, which will “aid the Commission’s broader efforts to root out invidious forms of DEI discrimination across all of the sectors the FCC regulates,” Mr. Carr said.
A Comcast spokesperson said that the company would cooperate with the probe.
“We have received an inquiry from the Federal Communications Commission and will be cooperating with the FCC to answer their questions,” the spokesperson said. “For decades, our company has been built on a foundation of integrity and respect for all of our employees and customers.”
Comcast may be the first media conglomerate to face a discrimination investigation, but it’s not the first major media enterprise to come under the FCC microscope in the first few weeks of the Trump administration.
The FCC launched investigations last month into PBS and NPR over whether the publicly funded outlets are airing commercials with their underwriting promotions in violation of federal law.
The commission also revived complaints filed last year by the conservative Center for American Rights against ABC, CBS and NBC stations over political bias, or “news distortion,” stemming from their coverage of the 2024 presidential campaign.
FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel dismissed the complaints days before President Trump took office as being “fundamentally at odds with the First Amendment.” She also dropped a separate complaint filed against a Fox-owned station.
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.