ABC Files to Renew Licenses but Calls FCC Order Unlawful

ABC is taking the offensive in a fight it says is really about government pressure on speech. The Disney-owned network on Thursday submitted license renewal applications for its eight local TV stations as ordered to by the Federal Communications Commission, but ripped the agency for its decision to review the licenses years ahead of schedule as "unlawful" and a First Amendment violation, Reuters reports. The move follows an April order advancing the reviews—originally slated for 2028—after President Trump urged ABC to fire late-night host Jimmy Kimmel. In its filing, ABC labeled the action an "unprecedented attack" on a single company's broadcast portfolio and an attempt to "suppress speech under the guise of bureaucratic process."

The network said it was filing the renewal applications under protest, per Variety. The stations filed their own objections along with their paperwork. "It is an extraordinary demonstration of power and coercion directed at disfavored editorial voices which sends a clear warning to every broadcaster in America," WABC in New York wrote, per the AP. The real injury is to the public, the station said. The FCC has said the early scrutiny stems from a probe into unlawful discrimination rules; it's also examining ABC's The View under political "equal time" requirements and has an open investigation into Disney's diversity policies.