Petitions asking the Federal Communications Commission to deny renewal of Disney-owned ABC station licenses could broaden the agency’s review beyond DEI-related questions.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Conservative groups are preparing to ask the Federal Communications Commission to deny license renewals for Disney-owned ABC television stations as the agency reviews the company’s broadcast operations.
The expected petitions could expand the scope of the FCC review by raising issues including alleged partisan bias and ABC’s broader management of its stations, according to Politico.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr previously ordered an accelerated review of licenses for eight Disney-owned ABC stations. Carr cited allegations that Disney failed to cooperate with an investigation into its diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
The FCC has said it is reviewing whether broadcasters are meeting their obligation to operate in the “public interest,” a standard established by Congress nearly a century ago.
The agency said it “will follow the facts and the law wherever they go. Broadcasters have unique public interest obligations, and Congress has tasked the FCC with enforcing those regulations.”
Daniel Suhr, president of the Center for American Rights, said the license review has widened beyond its original focus.
“It is no longer only about DEI,” Suhr said. “It is now about the complete record of ABC’s management of these stations.”
ABC has objected to the accelerated review. In a filing with the FCC, the network said Carr’s action serves “no legitimate purpose” and represents an “effort to suppress speech under the guise of bureaucratic process.”
President Donald Trump has repeatedly called for broadcast licenses to be revoked from networks he says have treated him unfairly, including ABC, CBS and NBC. His criticism has included ABC’s “The View,” late-night host Jimmy Kimmel and ABC News correspondent George Stephanopoulos.
During Trump’s first term, then-FCC Chairman Ajit Pai declined to pursue similar license actions, citing First Amendment concerns.
Carr has taken a different approach, opening investigations involving broadcast content and citing FCC rules related to news distortion and equal airtime requirements.
Carr said no final decision has been made on Disney’s licenses, but he has said all options remain available.
“If it goes towards a hearing designation order, if it goes towards license revocation, if that’s where the facts take us, great,” Carr told CNBC last month. “If not, then that’s OK, too.”
The petitions challenging Disney’s license renewals are due Monday. ABC and supporters of the company have until July 29 to file objections.
The Media Research Center and the Article III Project are among the groups expected to oppose renewal of Disney’s licenses.
Carr also accused ABC of running a “campaign of disinformation” after the network began airing promotional spots urging viewers to support it during the FCC inquiry.
ABC began airing the spots June 22 during commercial breaks of “The View.” The ads asked viewers to support the program as the administration proceeds with a separate probe into whether the show violated federal political broadcasting rules.
The FCC review now places Disney-owned ABC stations at the center of a broader dispute over broadcaster obligations, political speech, alleged bias, DEI programs and the limits of federal oversight of television licenses.
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