T-Mobile closes Lumos deal after dropping DEI

T-Mobile has officially closed its joint venture deal with the fiber provider Lumos, after updating its webpage dedicated to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), as reported earlier by Fierce Network. The company has replaced the page with one that drops the mention of how T-Mobile is “investing in a more inclusive society.”

The original link, which was online until at least March 26th, stated that T-Mobile will “continue to provide funding for more impactful programs needed to navigate—and thrive—in our connected world.” It also included a now-removed list of programs supported by T-Mobile, including the LGTBQ+ organization Out & Equal, the Human Rights Campaign, NAACP, the Hispanic Heritage Foundation, and others.

T-Mobile also replaced the tail-end of the page’s URL with “stronger-together” rather than “diversity-inclusion.”

These tweaks seem like a direct response to the threats from Federal Communications Chair Brendan Carr, who said companies should “get busy ending any sort of their invidious forms of DEI discrimination” during an interview with Bloomberg last month. He suggested that major deals, such as T-Mobile’s plan to acquire most of US Cellular, won’t happen if DEI is still in play.

T-Mobile executive vice president Mark Nelson has already indicated that the company plans on complying with Carr’s orders. In a March 27th letter to the FCC, he stated T-Mobile is “conducting a comprehensive review of its DEI policies, programs, and activities,” adding that the joint venture with Lumos “will not promote invidious forms of discrimination.” As pointed out by Fierce Network, the FCC signed off on the deal on March 28th.

In a statement to The Verge, Nelson said the original page’s removal “was the outcome of normal updates” the company makes across its site. “Nothing is changing at T-Mobile as it relates to our core values,” Nelson added. “We always review our programs to ensure that they are well-aligned to our values and are fully compliant with the law.”

Since becoming FCC chair, Carr has probed the DEI practices at Comcast, Verizon, and Disney. The Energy and Commerce Committee Democrats have responded by opening an investigation of their own, which will examine the time and resources the FCC has spent on “bogus investigations.”

Update, April 3rd: Noted that T-Mobile has replaced the original page and added a statement from Mark Nelson.