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Axios
2 days ago
- Politics
- Axios
Trump agencies turn up heat on culture wars
Government agencies in the Trump 2.0 era are going far beyond their traditional tech and media policy arenas to tackle issues around race, gender, alleged political bias and collusion. Why it matters: President Trump's push to expand executive branch power is testing the independence of regulatory agencies. Zoom out: Trump signed an executive order in February claiming executive branch authority over what have historically been independent federal agencies. Shortly after, he fired the FTC's the two Democratic commissioners. (They later sued the administration over the move and the litigation is ongoing.) There are currently only three commissioners serving at the FCC. The lone Democrat, Anna Gomez, has condemned chair Brendan Carr's investigations. Here's a look at the state of play: FTC: The agency has alleged that some companies have banded together to block ads based on their political content, and recently approved the Omnicom-Interpublic merger with a restriction on ad boycotts. The FTC also held a workshop last week on "Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices in 'Gender-Affirming Care' for Minors," a new line of inquiry for the FTC, which generally wades into health care only to examine marketing claims about products or treatments. That workshop drew pushback from consumer and LGBTQ+ groups, which said it showed "a willingness to exploit the agency's consumer protection mandate." FCC: The FCC has launched several investigations into media and telecom companies over their diversity, equity and inclusion policies. The FCC also recently decided to postpone enforcing a bipartisan law that made it more affordable to place calls from prisons and jails, which Gomez said was "flouting the will of Congress." DOJ: The department has also waded into gender-affirming care, sending subpoenas to 20 physicians and clinics that provide trans care to minors, looking for health care fraud and false statements. On the media side, the DOJ filed a statement of interest in a case where major media companies are accused of colluding with each other in an attempt to suppress alternate viewpoints on COVID-19. Reality check: "In addition to reading the statutes broadly, the Administration is also simply refusing to enforce certain statutes and/or spend appropriated funds," said Andrew Jay Schwartzman, senior counselor at Benton Institute for Broadband & Society. Schwartzman cited the Commerce Department refusing to release previously-awarded grants under the Digital Equity Act: "On its face, this should be impermissible, but we will have to see what the courts are going to do about this," he added. The big picture: The agencies' efforts to target companies over social issues are largely working. CBS parent Paramount Global has agreed to pay $16 million to settle with Trump over a defamation lawsuit that legal experts say it could've won in court. Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, Paramount, Gannett and a slew of major media companies have all announced rollbacks of their DEI policies to mirror the administration's new mandate. The FCC last week approved two T-Mobile acquisitions after the telecom giant dropped its DEI programs. What they're saying: Conservatives argue the agencies are well within their legal limits and jurisdictions to wade into such social issues like DEI and transgender medical care. Leaders of these agencies have been tying the issues to subjects in their remit, like discrimination and consumer protection laws, and saying there's no difference from past proceedings as they carry out Trump's mandates. "Thanks to President Trump's leadership, corporations are ending their discriminatory DEI policies," Carr said in a statement to Axios. "I am pleased to see that many of the businesses the FCC regulates are among them." "Many of the panelists who appeared say they were victims of mutilation and abuse, and I don't know who is on the other side of that," Joe Simonson, FTC director of public affairs, said in a statement in response to critics of the agency's workshop. The other side:"It's the MAGA-fication of these agencies, replacing consumer protection with cultural crusades," said Adam Kovacevich, CEO of the Chamber of Progress, a center-left tech industry policy coalition.
Al Jazeera
09-07-2025
- Business
- Al Jazeera
T-Mobile to end DEI programme as it seeks regulatory approval
Wireless carrier T-Mobile says it is ending its diversity, equity and inclusion programmes, under pressure from the Trump administration as it seeks regulatory approval for two major deals. The Washington state-based company said in a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr, made public on Wednesday, that the wireless company is ending its DEI-related policies 'not just in name, but in substance.' T-Mobile said it will no longer have any individual roles or teams focused on DEI, is removing any references to DEI on its websites, and has removed references to DEI from its employee training materials. Carr said he was pleased with the changes. 'This is another good step forward for equal opportunity, nondiscrimination and the public interest,' according to the news agency Reuters. FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez, a Democrat, criticised T-Mobile's action, saying, 'In yet another cynical bid to win FCC regulatory approval, T-Mobile is making a mockery of its professed commitment to eliminating discrimination, promoting fairness, and amplifying underrepresented voices.' T-Mobile is awaiting FCC approval to buy almost all of regional carrier United States Cellular's wireless operations including customers, stores and 30 percent of its spectrum assets in a deal valued at $4.4bn, and a separate transaction to establish a joint venture with KKR to acquire internet service provider Metronet, which reaches more than 2 million homes and businesses in 17 states. Investors did not respond well to the news. As of 2:30pm ET (18:30 GMT), the company's stock, traded under the TMUS, is down 1.3 percent since the market opened. T-Mobile joins a growing list of companies bowing to pressure from the Trump administration that face regulatory approval. Last week, Paramount agreed to pay a $16m settlement after the president claimed CBS News' show 60 Minutes misleadingly edited an interview with then Democratic Presidential nominee Kamala Harris, as Paramount seeks regulatory approval for the proposed merger with Skydance.
CNA
09-07-2025
- Business
- CNA
T-Mobile ending DEI programs as it seeks US FCC approval for 2 deals
Wireless carrier T-Mobile US said on Wednesday it is ending its diversity, equity and inclusion programs, under pressure from the Trump administration as it seeks regulatory approval for two major deals. T-Mobile said in a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr made public on Wednesday that the wireless company is ending its DEI-related policies "not just in name, but in substance." T-Mobile said it will no longer have any individual roles or teams focused on DEI, is removing any references to DEI on its websites and has removed references to DEI from its employee training materials. Carr said in a text message he was pleased with the changes. "This is another good step forward for equal opportunity, nondiscrimination and the public interest." T-Mobile is awaiting FCC approval to buy almost all of regional carrier United States Cellular's wireless operations including customers, stores and 30 per cent of its spectrum assets in a deal valued at $4.4 billion. The FCC is also weighing a separate transaction in which T-Mobile would establish a joint venture with KKR to acquire internet service provider Metronet, which reaches more than 2 million homes and businesses in 17 states. T-Mobile plans at closing to invest about $4.9 billion to acquire a 50 per cent equity stake in the joint venture and 100 per cent of Metronet's residential fiber retail operations and customers. FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez, a Democrat, criticized T-Mobile's action saying "in yet another cynical bid to win FCC regulatory approval, T-Mobile is making a mockery of its professed commitment to eliminating discrimination, promoting fairness, and amplifying underrepresented voices." The FCC in May approved Verizon Communications' $20 billion deal to acquire fiber-optic internet providers Frontier Communications after the largest U.S. telecom company agreed to end its DEI program and after the FCC opened an investigation. Carr, a Republican designated by Trump in January as chair, told Comcast in February he was opening a probe into the NBC News-parent company's promotion of DEI programs.
Phone Arena
23-06-2025
- Business
- Phone Arena
T-Mobile's purchase of UScellular assets is delayed thanks to shorthanded FCC
When T-Mobile agreed in May 2024 to acquire UScellular's wireless customers, retail stores, and spectrum assets owned by the nation's fifth-largest wireless carrier for $4.4 billion in cash and debt, the thinking was that the deal would close in the middle of 2025. Well, perhaps you haven't noticed but we will hit the mid-way point of the year on July 2nd at 12 noon, and the transaction still hasn't received regulatory approval from the FCC. The FCC currently has only two sitting commissioners including Chairman Brendan Carr and Anna M. Gomez. A quorum of at least three members is required before the FCC is allowed to resume normal operations. In case you're wondering the FCC is made up of five commissioners and no more than three can come from one political party. Each commissioner is appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. The commissioners are appointed to serve for a five-year term. Since no mergers or acquisitions can be approved by the FCC without a quorum, Telephone and Data Systems, the company that is selling the UScellular assets, and T-Mobile , the buyer, are both unable to complete the transaction. T-Mobile is paying $2.4 billion in cash and will take over responsibility for $2 billion in UScellular debt. The deal also gives T-Mobile 30% of UScellular's spectrum assets including airwaves in the 600 MHz, 700 MHz A Block, PCS, AWS, 2.5 GHz, and 24 GHz (mmWave) frequencies. The latest thinking has the T-Mobile-UScellular deal closing in August or September. The delay was caused when Democrat Commissioner Geoffrey Starks and Republican Commissioner Nathan Simington both left their posts in June. This left the agency one commissioner short of the necessary quorum. The sale of USM's spectrum to AT&T and Verizon is also on hold until the FCC regains its quorum. That could take place on July 1st when Commissioner Olivia Trusty will start her term as an FCC commissioner. Trusty was approved by the Senate 53-45 on June 17th. Her presence on the FCC will give the Republicans a 2-1 advantage at the FCC. Once the FCC does regain its quorum, the agency will be able to vote on whether to approve T-Mobile 's purchase of UScellular's assets and USM's sale of spectrum to AT&T and Verizon . Considering that T-Mobile received FCC approval for its $26 billion acquisition of Sprint during the first Trump administration, there shouldn't be an issue getting the UScellular transaction to close. Switch to Total 5G+ Unlimited 3-Month plan or Total 5G Unlimited and get a free iPhone. We may earn a commission if you make a purchase Check Out The Offer
The Verge
11-06-2025
- Business
- The Verge
FCC's last Democratic commissioner doesn't know why Trump hasn't fired her yet
Every morning, Federal Communications Commissioner Anna Gomez says she checks her email 'to see if I'm going into work.' At a time when the federal workforce has been slashed by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Gomez's job appears to be one of the most precarious in the US government. She's the last remaining Democrat at the now two-person FCC and has been touring the country to speak out about actions by President Donald Trump and FCC Chair Brendan Carr, who she says seek to censor and control Americans' speech. Gomez has accused her own agency under Carr's leadership of 'weaponizing' its authority 'to silence critics,' and opening 'sham investigations' into news outlets like NPR, PBS, ABC, CBS, and NBC. The idea that Gomez could wake up one day to an email dismissing her is not unfounded. That's essentially how the two Democratic commissioners at the Federal Trade Commission, another agency of the federal government that was created to be independent, found out that Trump was firing them — even though doing so without cause breached decades-old Supreme Court precedent. Now that it's only Gomez and Carr left at the commission, since Democrat Geoffrey Starks and Republican Nathan Simington both stepped down last week, the agency no longer has a quorum to vote on significant actions. Only three members of the five-person committee can be from the same party, and while Trump has one Republican nominee awaiting confirmation and a second rumored, Gomez isn't confident that Trump will eventually move to nominate another Democrat. 'I have not seen him nominate a single Democrat to the entire administration,' she tells The Verge in a brief interview after an event with the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) in Washington, DC. 'I have only seen him fire them.' One might assume that Gomez's nationwide tour critiquing the agency chair's actions would make for a tense office environment back at the FCC. But, she says, she actually has a 'good working relationship' with Carr. 'It just is what it is,' she says. 'He knows that I need to speak out, and we have a relationship where I can tell him my concerns also.' Does she have any sense of why Trump hasn't attempted to fire her? 'No,' Gomez says. 'I have not seen him nominate a single Democrat to the entire administration. I have only seen him fire them' But the loss of a quorum at the FCC could set up more points of opposition until a third commissioner is confirmed by the Senate. FCC bureaus are allowed to carry out some work themselves on what's called delegated authority, but are not supposed to deal with novel issues meant to be handled at the commission level. Those are the kinds of things Gomez thinks should wait for a quorum so the FCC can vote on them, leading to a final decision that — unlike bureau-level actions — is reviewable in court. Gomez has already critiqued the bureau-level approval of Verizon's $20 billion Frontier acquisition as a 'backroom' deal, and warns that the review of Paramount's proposed Skydance deal should not be handled in the same way. During the CTA event, Gomez gave a tentative response to whether the FCC had adequate guardrails to fend off conflicts of interest with Musk's companies, like SpaceX, which operates the Starlink satellite internet network, that can benefit from certain agency policy. Until recently, Musk had a cozy relationship with Trump, and his involvement with DOGE raised questions about the kinds of information he could access that related to his financial interests (the White House insisted Musk would step back from any potential conflicts). 'I can only imagine our general counsel would be very involved in making those decisions,' Gomez says. 'As a commissioner, I don't have perfect insight into those types of activities, but our chairman is the former general counsel of the agency and is fully aware of those obligations.' Despite the tenuous position she's in, Gomez says she's been encouraged during her First Amendment tour to see support from people of different ideological backgrounds. 'This is not a red or a blue issue. This is an issue of right or wrong. This is an issue of protecting our democracy and the First Amendment,' she says. 'I think it's important that we speak up and push back, because we can't let this become the status quo.'
