FCC chair orders inquiry into Disney’s DEI practices

WASHINGTON — The chair of the Federal Communications Commission said Friday that he had opened an investigation into The Walt Disney Co.’s diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the latest attempt under the Trump administration to halt such efforts.

In a letter to Disney CEO Bob Iger, FCC Chair Brendan Carr said the company’s programs to increase diversity in hiring and to promote race-based affinity groups appeared to violate equal employment opportunity regulations.

“I want to ensure that Disney ends any and all discriminatory initiatives in substance, not just name,” Carr said in the letter, which was sent Thursday. “For another, I want to determine whether Disney’s actions — whether ongoing or recently ended — complied at all times with applicable FCC regulations.”

A Disney spokesperson said the company was reviewing the FCC’s letter. “We look forward to engaging with the commission to answer its questions.”

Carr, a veteran Republican regulator, began his tenure as chair of the FCC in January by starting a sweeping campaign to scrutinize the media, attempting to root out allegations of left-leaning bias and policies scorned by President Donald Trump.

Last month, Carr began a similar diversity and inclusion inquiry into Comcast, the parent company of NBCUniversal. Carr has also said merger reviews undertaken by the agency will now include investigations of companies’ DEI programs.

The investigations follow an executive order by Trump on his first day in office banning “illegal and immoral” DEI programs in the federal government. One day later, Carr announced that he would end any promotion of diversity and equity in the FCC’s strategic plan, budget and economic reports.

It is unclear whether the FCC, which usually hands out licenses to broadcast television and radio stations and plays the role of watchdog for cable television, has the power to punish a media company for its diversity initiatives. Carr has argued that the agency can apply a broad “public interest” standard in scrutinizing companies such as Disney, which owns ABC and ESPN, as well as television stations across the nation.

Carr’s investigations could be challenged in court, FCC experts said.

“This is all about bullying and intimidation,” said Andrew Schwartzman, senior counsel at the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society. Carr’s most powerful tool is his vote on the commission to approve mergers and acquisitions, he said.

Carr, who was nominated by Trump, has started inquiries since he took over as chair into multiple news organizations, including PBS and NPR, accusing them of left-leaning political bias. He examined an interview that CBS’ “60 Minutes” conducted with former Vice President Kamala Harris, and he announced an investigation into San Francisco radio station KCBS for its coverage of immigration enforcement actions.

Carr has publicly agreed with the administration’s promises to slash regulation, go after Big Tech and punish TV networks for political bias. Carr is reshaping the independent agency, expanding its mandate and wielding it as a political weapon for the right, telecommunications attorneys and analysts have said.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

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