ABC is taking President Donald Trump’s Federal Communications Commission to court, accusing the powerful broadcast regulator of using its licensing authority to punish speech the administration does not like.
In a First Amendment lawsuit filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, ABC alleged that the administration has carried out a politically motivated campaign against the network through the FCC.
“Acting through the Federal Communications Commission, the Administration has waged a retaliatory campaign against ABC for a single reason: it disapproves of what ABC broadcasts,” the lawsuit states, according to Mediaite and Deadline.
The network said the attacks have escalated from public criticism of its journalism and programming to “express demands” that ABC be stripped of broadcast licenses because of its speech.
At the center of the case is an unusual FCC order requiring eight ABC-owned local stations to apply for license renewals years ahead of schedule. The stations serve New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Houston, San Francisco, Raleigh-Durham and Fresno. Their licenses were not otherwise set to expire until between 2028 and 2031.
ABC is seeking a temporary restraining order as well as preliminary and permanent injunctions to stop the accelerated review, The Wall Street Journal reported. The FCC did not immediately comment on the new lawsuit, according to the Journal.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has rejected claims that the review is punishment for ABC’s programming. He has said it stems from a previously opened investigation into Disney’s diversity, equity and inclusion practices and whether the company complied with federal employment rules.
ABC argues that explanation is a pretext.
The legal showdown follows months of escalating pressure on the network. In February, Carr confirmed that the FCC had begun enforcement proceedings involving The View and the federal equal-time rule after the program featured political candidates. Carr questioned whether the daytime show qualifies for the rule’s exemption for bona fide news programs.
Then in April, the FCC ordered the eight ABC stations into early renewal proceedings one day after Trump and first lady Melania Trump called for late-night host Jimmy Kimmel to be fired over an “expectant widow” joke. Carr denied that the timing was retaliatory, saying the action was tied to the agency’s DEI investigation and Disney’s response to document requests, The Guardian reported.
The dispute intensified again in July. After ABC declined to preempt its prime-time schedule for a Trump address, Carr said that editorial decision would factor into the FCC’s license review, The Desk reported. Democratic FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez responded that broadcasters—not the government—decide what news and speeches to carry.
ABC accused the agency of “attempted censorship” in a July filing and warned that the stakes extend far beyond one network.
“The retaliation against ABC is a signal to every media company in the country: accommodate the Administration’s view of what news coverage should look like or pay the price,” the network wrote, according to Mediaite.
The network says its stations easily meet the legal standard for renewal and notes that they have held their licenses for decades while providing local journalism and emergency coverage. ABC also said more than 150,000 comments were filed in the FCC proceeding, with over 95% supporting renewal, TheWrap reported.
A bipartisan group of former FCC chairs, commissioners and senior officials has also urged the agency to end the early review, describing it as unprecedented and warning that it could chill broadcasters nationwide. Conservative organizations, including the Media Research Center and the Center for American Rights, have pushed in the opposite direction, asking the FCC to deny the renewals over alleged bias and discrimination.
