The Center for American Rights, a nonprofit known for challenging media companies before regulators, has called on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to scrutinize Paramount Global’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, according to a report from Bloomberg. In a letter sent Wednesday to the FCC, the group’s president, Daniel Suhr, argued that Paramount’s use of quotas for people of color in reality TV programming may breach legal standards, raising questions about the company’s fitness to hold broadcast licenses.
“Any broadcast license holder who engages in illegal activity anywhere in its business that goes directly to its character as an owner should be disqualified from ownership,” Suhr wrote, per Bloomberg. Paramount, which owns the CBS TV network, local TV stations, and other media properties, declined to comment on the letter when contacted by the outlet.
This all comes as Comcast’s NBCUniversal is facing an investigation into its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives from the FCC.
The push comes amid a broader conservative backlash against DEI programs, intensified since Donald Trump’s second term as U.S. president began in January. The Trump administration has prioritized dismantling such initiatives across industries, a stance echoed by FCC Chair Brendan Carr. Last week, Carr launched an investigation into Comcast Corp.’s DEI practices, citing concerns over “invidious forms of DEI” that he claims violate FCC regulations and civil rights laws. In a February 11 letter to Comcast CEO Brian Roberts, Carr pointed to the company’s DEI training, an annual “DEI Day,” and dedicated executives as problematic. Comcast’s NBCUniversal division operates several TV networks.
Suhr’s letter to the FCC draws a direct parallel, asserting that “the specific concerns raised by the Chairman in his letter to NBCUniversal are present in spades at Paramount.” The Center for American Rights, which describes itself as a nonpartisan public interest law firm, has a history of targeting media giants. It previously filed FCC complaints over Paramount’s proposed merger with Skydance Media, flagging an investment by Chinese firm Tencent Holdings Ltd. in Skydance.
Under Carr’s leadership, the FCC has ramped up its oversight of media companies since the Trump administration took office. The agency is currently reviewing a 60 Minutes interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris from late last year, which sparked a lawsuit between CBS and Trump. In January, the FCC also revived complaints about Walt Disney Co.’s ABC News moderation of a Biden-Trump debate and Harris’s pre-election Saturday Night Live appearance, alleging unequal airtime for candidates.
Paramount’s DEI efforts now face a critical test as the FCC weighs the Center’s allegations. With the Trump administration backing such probes, the scrutiny of corporate diversity programs shows no signs of slowing, potentially reshaping the media landscape.
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