OAN Staff Cory Hawkins
5:02 PM – Thursday, December 4, 2025
AT&T has pledged to end its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, including an employee training program that describes racism as a “uniquely White trait.”
The fiber-optic giant sent a letter on Monday to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Brendan Carr following recent shifts in the legal landscape with 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 senior executive vice president and general counsel at AT&T David McAtee. “Consistent with applicable law, our multi-pronged approach allows employees to thrive in an environment free from invidious discrimination.”
AT&T houses over 110,000 U.S. employees, and now promises a “longstanding practice to pay and advance individuals based on merit and qualification.”
The Dallas-based company noted that it “does not and will not use hiring quotas based on race, sex, sexual orientation, or any other protected characteristic,” and its supplier contracts will not enforce demographic-based goals — as it had in the past.
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Reports say employees were previously encouraged to study resources related to critical race theory (CRT), including one article that states: “White America, if you want to know who’s responsible for racism, look in the mirror.”
Cable and satellite competitors Verizon and T-Mobile have made comparable pledges to dismantle their DEI programs as well. FCC Chair Brendan Carr has reinforced this stance, vowing that the agencies won’t secure vital licenses until they fully eliminate such initiatives.
Many firms that have phased out DEI policies have also ceased disclosing data to the Human Rights Campaign — an LGBTQ+ advocacy organization — for its annual Corporate Equality Index.
During his second term, President Donald Trump issued several executive orders designed to dismantle DEI efforts across both public and private sectors. A landmark 2023 Supreme Court decision, which struck down race-based affirmative action in college admissions, has further fueled the rollback of DEI programs nationwide.
In November 2024, AT&T announced a $1.02 billion agreement to acquire wireless spectrum licenses from U.S. Cellular, a transaction still pending FCC approval.
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