Democratic FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez criticized Verizon for giving in to Republican Chairman Brendan Carr's demands. "This shameful," she wrote on X. "Capitulation breeds capitulation."

After President Donald Trump issued an executive order in January eliminating DEI programs at federal agencies, FCC chair Brendan Carr ended those programs at the FCC and has said he will make eliminating DEI programs part of the approval process for mergers. Carr has also launched investigations into DEI practices at Disney and Comcast.

Verizon’s $ 20 billion deal to acquire the fiber internet provider Frontier is officially happening. On Friday, the Federal Communications Commission signed off on the merger, which will allow Verizon to “upgrade and expand” Frontier’s existing fiber networks.