Disney and ABC Sue FCC Over Early Broadcast Licence Reviews
Disney and its ABC television unit have sued the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, asking a federal court to stop an unusually early review of broadcast licences held by eight ABC-owned television stations.
The lawsuit, filed on August 18 in Washington, D.C., accuses the FCC of using its licensing authority to retaliate against ABC over programming and journalism disliked by the Trump administration. Disney argues that the process violates the network’s First Amendment rights.
ABC is asking the court for a temporary restraining order that would halt the licence-renewal proceedings and prevent the FCC from scheduling a hearing while the legal challenge is considered.
At the centre of the dispute are licences for eight ABC-owned local stations.
FCC Chair Brendan Carr ordered the stations to submit early renewal applications in April, even though their licences were not scheduled for review until October 2028. Reuters reports that the FCC had not ordered this type of early review in more than 50 years.
The timing has become central to Disney’s argument.
The FCC ordered the reviews one day after President Donald Trump publicly called for ABC to fire Jimmy Kimmel, whose late-night programme has frequently criticised him. Trump has also repeatedly suggested that regulators should reconsider broadcast licences held by networks whose coverage or programming he objects to.
Disney says the pattern amounts to government pressure on ABC’s editorial decisions.
The company alleges in its complaint that the administration has repeatedly targeted the network over the stories its journalists cover and opinions expressed in its programming, eventually escalating to threats involving broadcast licences.
