Disney sues FCC over ‘retaliatory campaign against ABC,’ seeks to block early renewal proceedings

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Disney sued the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Tuesday, seeking to block the agency’s early broadcast license renewal proceedings for ABC stations in a lawsuit alleging First Amendment violations.

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr called for early renewal of eight ABC-owned stations’ licenses in April. The Disney-owned ABC stations’ licenses were originally scheduled to be renewed between 2028 and 2031, but the FCC expedited the process amid ongoing tensions between the Trump administration and ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel.

The eight stations must demonstrate they have been operating in the public interest as part of an ongoing look at Disney’s diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices. In the lawsuit, ABC said the Trump administration “has waged a retaliatory campaign against ABC for a single reason: it disapproves of what ABC broadcasts.”

ABC is also expected to file a motion for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction.

The FCC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

An FCC spokesperson previously issued the following statement: “For decades, Americans of all stripes have been subsidizing broadcast media to the tune of many billions of dollars by giving TV stations free use of a valuable, public resource — the airwaves. In exchange, broadcasters are required by law to operate in the public interest, not in the narrow or partisan interests of a political party.

“Broadcasters know that they are prohibited from engaging in invidious forms of DEI discrimination, that they must comply with political equal opportunity regulations and that they are barred from running broadcast hoaxes or distorting the news. The FCC is going to hold broadcasters accountable to the full extent of the law, regardless of any disinformation campaign that some of them may choose to run.”

This is a developing story, more to come…

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