AT&T is scrapping its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, becoming the latest company to end the policies as the Trump administration continues pushing for the nationwide elimination of the practices.
The telecommunications giant, with 100,000 U.S. employees, wrote a letter to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Brendan Carr on Monday stating it was ending its DEI-related policies following recent shifts in the legal landscape governing such programs.
“AT&T has always stood for merit-based opportunity, and we are pleased to reaffirm our commitment to equal employment opportunity and nondiscrimination today,” wrote David McAtee, a senior executive vice president and general counsel at AT&T. “Consistent with applicable law, our multi-pronged approach allows employees to thrive in an environment free from invidious discrimination.”
The New York Post reported that AT&T’s training previously called racism a “uniquely white trait” and white employees were told they “are the problem,” according to City Journal’s Christopher Rufo, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute.
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AT&T’s announcement came after a number of companies, including Amazon, Meta, Lowe’s and McDonald’s, have pulled back on their own DEI programs.
Both major cell phone carriers, Verizon Communications and T-Mobile, have also ended their programs.
President Donald Trump during his first week in office shut down all DEI offices across the federal government and Carr has vowed to use every tool at his disposal to eliminate the programs from the companies his agency regulates.
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AT&T agreed in November 2024 to buy some wireless spectrum licenses from U.S. Cellular in a $1.02 billion deal that needs approval from the FCC, according to Reuters.
On Tuesday, Carr posted on X that AT&T had “memorialized its commitment to ending DEI-related policies.”
The company said in its letter to the FCC that it would no longer have any roles focused on DEI, writing that “it is AT&T’s longstanding practice to pay and advance individuals based on merit and qualification.”
“Our hiring, training, and career development opportunities are not and will not be based on or limited by race, gender, or other protected characteristics,” McAtee wrote.
He added that AT&T will not use hiring quotas based on race, sex or sexual orientation and the company had removed all DEI training.
FOX Business has reached out to AT&T for comment.
