FILE PHOTO: The Verizon logo is seen on the 375 Pearl Street building in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., November 22, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Verizon Communications said Friday it is ending diversity, equity and inclusion programs after the Trump administration opened a probe and as the U.S. telecom carrier seeks approval to purchase Frontier Communications.
Federal Communications Commission chair Brendan Carr in February criticized Verizon for its promotion ofDEI programs and said it could be a factor in the Frontier deal.
Verizon said in a letter to Carr seen by Reuters the company was removing its "Diversity and Inclusion" website and removing references to DEI from employee training and making other changes to hiring, career development, supplier diversity and corporate sponsorship practices.
The company will no longer maintain any workforce diversity goals and will drop a component of its management compensation plan that historically included a goal to increase the representation of women and minorities in the company’s U.S. workforce.
"Verizon recognizes that some DEI policies and practices could be associated with discrimination," said Verizon chief legal officer Vandana Venkatesh in the letter saying the change were effective immediately.
Carr, a Republican designated by President Donald Trump in January, told NBC News-parent Comcast in February he was opening a similar probe into the company's promotion of DEI programs.
Carr said in a statement he was pleased Verizon is ending its DEI policies outlined in the letter. "This is a good and important step forward -- one that promotes equal opportunity, nondiscrimination, and the public interest," Carr said.
Verizon is nearing FCC approval for its $9.6 billion purchase of Frontier.
Trump in January issued sweeping executive orders to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the United States and pressured the private sector to join the initiative.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Nick Zieminski)
