The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) gave the green light to an AT&T deal to acquire some spectrum assets from UScellular, a move expected after the former committed to end its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives earlier this week.

The US regulator stated the $1 billion deal announced in November 2024 would enhance “AT&T’s network coverage, capacity and performance, resulting in a better customer experience”.

It added the likelihood of “competitive harm” as a result of the deal is low.

President Donald Trump’s administration has required telecoms operators to drop DEI programmes to gain regulatory approval for deals.

Rival operators T-Mobile US and Verizon have both had deals pushed through shortly after dropping their own DEI initiatives.

AT&T is buying 1,250 million MHz-POPs of 3.45GHz and 331 million MHz-POPs of 700MHZ B/C block bands from UScellular.

When it announced the deal, it said the spectrum would bolster 5G network capacity in more than 100 markets.

However, lobby group Rural Wireless Association released a statement slamming the FCC’s decision to push the deal through, stating it continues a trend of consolidation which harms competition and disserves the public interest.

It believes the deal will lead to increased prices and result in roaming challenges for consumers.