Congressional Democrats are accusing Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr of leveraging merger reviews and broadcast licensing decisions to push companies to scrap diversity initiatives, raising alarms about political pressure inside a powerful independent regulator.
"The FCC holds significant authority over the communications marketplace," the 18 lawmakers wrote in a letter provided exclusively to USA TODAY. "Congress granted this authority to ensure communications services serve the public interest...not to influence the internal governance decisions of private companies."
The dispute reflects a broader escalation in the fight over corporate diversity programs, with Carr emerging as one of the most aggressive regulators testing whether federal agencies can influence internal business policies through routine approvals and oversight.
Democrats warn that the approach could set a precedent for using regulatory power to shape corporate behavior far beyond the communications sector, as Carr and allies argue DEI initiatives may violate federal law.
Virginia Rep. Jennifer McClellan and Illinois Rep. Jonathan Jackson, the son of the late civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson, said Carr's public statements and recent reports "raise concerns that companies seeking FCC approval may feel pressure to modify internal corporate policies to avoid regulatory obstacles or delays."
