ABC sues FCC over early review of broadcast licenses, calling it an existential threat
- ABC, Disney and eight ABC-owned stations sued the Federal Communications Commission, asking a federal court to block early renewal proceedings for the stations' broadcast licenses.
- The FCC, led by Chairman Brendan Carr, ordered an early review of the licenses in April, years before their scheduled expiration.
- ABC says the agency's actions amount to retaliation over speech protected by the First Amendment and describe them as an "existential threat" to the network.
- The lawsuit says the dispute follows repeated clashes between ABC and the Trump administration, including criticism of Jimmy Kimmel and concerns over "The View" and equal-time rules.
- FCC commissioner Anna Gomez praised ABC and Disney for pushing back, while Carr has said broadcasters must operate in the public interest and has also opened separate probes into CBS News and NBC News.
ABC on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against the Federal Communications Commission, saying the agency's move to review its broadcast licenses early amounts to retaliation for protected speech. The case was filed by ABC, its parent company Disney and eight ABC-owned stations whose licenses are affected.
The FCC had ordered the early review in April, years before the licenses are set to expire. ABC asked the court to stop the proceedings, arguing that the agency's actions threaten the network's ability to operate and amount to an "existential threat."
The filing says the dispute is part of a broader conflict between ABC and the Trump administration. It points to criticism tied to ABC programming, including comments by late-night host Jimmy Kimmel and a separate fight over whether "The View" should be subject to equal-time rules.
ABC said the consequences extend beyond one broadcaster and warned that government pressure of this kind would send a message to media companies nationwide. A lone Democratic FCC commissioner, Anna Gomez, publicly backed the lawsuit, while Carr has defended the agency's actions as an effort to enforce broadcasters' public-interest obligations.
ABC起诉FCC，反对提前审查其广播执照，称此举构成生存威胁
ABC于周二起诉美国联邦通信委员会，称该机构提前审查其广播执照的做法，是对受保护言论的报复。提起诉讼的包括ABC、其母公司迪士尼，以及8家受影响的ABC旗下电视台。
FCC在4月下令提前审查这些执照，时间比原定到期日早了数年。ABC请求法院叫停这一程序，称监管行动威胁到其正常运营，并构成“生存威胁”。
起诉书称，这起争议是ABC与特朗普政府长期冲突的一部分。文件提到，争议与ABC节目有关，包括晚间主持人吉米·金梅尔的言论，以及围绕《The View》是否应适用平等时间规则的另一场争论。
ABC表示，这一后果不只影响一家广播机构，并警告这种政府施压会向全国媒体公司传递明确信号。FCC中唯一的民主党委员安娜·戈麦斯公开支持这起诉讼，而卡尔则为FCC的做法辩护，称其是在执行播出机构的公共利益义务。