On August 18, Disney sued the FCC to oppose the early review of the licenses of eight television stations owned by ABC, accusing the agency of waging a “censorship campaign” against ABC over broadcasts disliked by President Trump. The FCC, meanwhile, asked for the case to be dismissed in its entirety or for the request for an injunction that would halt the license review until the case was resolved to be denied.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr had threatened ABC over Jimmy Kimmel’s jokes and the political content on The View. However, in a filing with the court, the agency argued that the early review was not related to those issues but to “allegations of unlawful discrimination” connected to Disney’s diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies. The FCC said Disney’s responses in the investigation were inadequate and failed to address the questions.
The agency said no decision had been made, that Carr and the FCC were “open-minded” and would follow only the facts and the law. It said the stations could continue broadcasting without interruption while the license renewal process continued, and that the licenses would remain valid even if the applications were denied, as long as judicial review was sought. The FCC also argued that license decisions should be reviewed by courts of appeals, not a district court. The agency said broadcasters had an obligation to serve the public interest and argued that halting the administrative process before the allegations were examined would harm the public and the government.
Disney said the investigation restricted freedom of expression and dragged ABC into a costly legal battle that could last for years and involve the constant threat of sanctions. The company said editorial decisions were being made under the shadow of possible retaliation by the administration as the elections approached. Disney also reported that it had changed its broadcasting policy because of pressure from the FCC and that the program The View had stopped interviewing political candidates. The program is facing a separate FCC proceeding that could cause it to lose the “bona fide news” exception to the equal-time rule.
Two watchdog groups, Frequency Forward and Media Action Center, along with 18 ABC viewers, sought to intervene in the case to prevent Disney from accepting a settlement that was not in the public interest. Disney opposed the request, arguing that the groups had no legally protected interest and could present their views to the court in an amicus brief. The groups’ attorney, Art Belendiuk, said that because of Disney’s obligations to its shareholders, the company’s interests might not align with those of the viewers. In December 2024, ABC settled the lawsuit brought by Trump over George Stephanopoulos’s statements by paying $15 million.
Why it matters
The lawsuit raises a question that goes beyond the technical renewal process for broadcast licenses: on what grounds the regulator may examine broadcasters’ editorial choices. The key point of divergence that will shape the legal framework of the process is that the FCC bases its review on allegations of discrimination related to DEI policies, while Disney links the matter to freedom of expression and the risk of retaliation. The possibility that broadcasts could continue uninterrupted throughout the lawsuit protects viewers’ access to ABC content in the short term; however, it remains unclear which court will evaluate the license applications and according to what criteria. The request by viewer and oversight groups to intervene also leaves open the question of how the public interest will be represented in the dispute between the company and the regulator.
Background
Trump is not a new name in the FikirPilot archive: in the last 90 days, we have published 8 stories mentioning the name; the latest is dated September 5, 2026.