FCC Approves $20 Billion Verizon-Frontier Merger After Telco Committed to Eliminating DEI, Agency’s GOP Chairman Says

After Verizon agreed to end its diversity, equity and inclusion policies, the FCC — led by Trump-appointed chairman Brendan Carr — approved the telco’s $20 billion deal to acquire Frontier Communications.

Verizon’s pledge to end DEI was outlined in a May 15 letter to the commission, which Carr shared on X Friday. “A good step forward for equal opportunity, nondiscrimination, and the public interest,” the FCC chairman wrote. Shortly after he posted that, the FCC announced the approval of the Verizon-Frontier merger.

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The green light for Verizon-Frontier comes as the $8 billion merger between Paramount Global and Skydance Media remains pending FCC approval — possibly over DEI issues.

In March, Carr said he would block M&A deals for companies that promote diversity, equity and inclusion programs as he helps execute President Trump’s aggressive anti-DEI agenda. Paramount in February said it was changing some of its DEI programs to comply with the Trump administration’s directives. Last month, the Wall Street Journal reported that Paramount was meeting with FCC officials to negotiate a “commitment that the company continues to abstain from particular corporate diversity issues.”

On Friday, the FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau approved Verizon’s deal to buy Frontier, which was announced in September 2024, by granting a series of applications that transfer FCC licenses and authorizations. As part of the announcement, the agency said, Verizon has “committed to ending DEI-related practices as specified in the FCC’s record and has reaffirmed the merged entity’s commitment to equal opportunity and nondiscrimination.”

Carr said in a statement that Verizon’s deal for Frontier “will unleash billions of dollars in new infrastructure builds in communities across the country — including rural America. This investment will accelerate the transition away from old, copper line networks to modern, high-speed ones. And it delivers for America’s tower and telecom crews who do the hard, often gritty work needed to build high-speed networks.”

According to the FCC, the deal approval allows Verizon to upgrade and expand Frontier’s existing network in 25 states, bringing more fiber to more communities. Following the transaction, Verizon expects to deploy fiber to 1 million or more American homes annually.