The FCC is going after the broadcast licenses of Disney-owned ABC stations
The Federal Communications Commission has ordered Disney-owned and operated ABC stations to apply for early renewal of their licenses, as previously reported The New York Times. In a filing Tuesday, the FCC says it made the decision as part of an investigation into Disney’s diversity, equity and inclusiveness (DEI) policies.
The move comes just a day after President Donald Trump called on ABC to fire late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel, who called Melania Trump a “widow-to-be” in a sketch, before the alleged assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
Disney was not ready to renew its broadcast licenses until 2028, according to NBC News. The entertainment giant controls ABC stations in eight major markets, including Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Houston and Philadelphia. Disney now has until May 28 to file license renewals for all of its ABC stations. Although the New York Times notes that “it is extremely difficult for the government to take away broadcasting rights from stations,” the FCC order marks a worrying escalation in its fight against Disney. If the FCC blocks the renewal of ABC’s broadcast license, Disney will be able to challenge the decision in court while its television stations continue to broadcast, the FCC said. New York Times reports.
“The FCC determines that requesting an early renewal of Disney’s ABC licenses, at this time, under the Communications Act’s public interest standard, is essential within the meaning of the agency’s regulations,” the filing states. Disney did not immediately respond. The edgerequest for comment.
Since Trump took office in 2025, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has used his position to target broadcasters airing content that does not align with the current administration. Last year, the FCC opened an investigation into Disney following Carr’s “concerns” that the company’s diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices “violated the FCC’s equal employment opportunity regulations.” Carr then threatened to revoke the broadcast licenses of broadcast stations Jimmy Kimmel Live! after the late night host commented on the man accused of murdering Charlie Kirk. Disney took Jimmy Kimmel Live! went off the air following Carr’s threat and reinstated the show a few days later.
Carr recently threatened news channels over their coverage of the Iran war and said “broadcasters must operate in the public interest, and if they don’t, they will lose their license.” The president later attempted to clarify his statement, saying that the agency had no plans to withdraw broadcast licenses and that “the only thing we ever talked about regarding the withdrawal of broadcast licenses was about operators not operating in the public interest, engaging in broadcast hoaxes and distortions of information.”
Carr uses the FCC’s information distortion policy as the basis for his claims, although the agency’s own website says broadcasters are only subject to sanctions “if it can be proven that they deliberately distorted a factual report.” Former FCC staffers are asking a federal appeals court to strike down the rule, calling Carr’s use of the policy an “abuse of regulatory power to shape voter perceptions and control information.”
Anna Gomez, the FCC’s only Democratic commissioner, called Carr’s challenge to Disney’s broadcast licenses the agency’s “most egregious attack on the First Amendment” thus far. “This is an unprecedented and politically motivated attempt to interfere with the operation of broadcasters, and this illegal attack will fail,” Gomez said. “This should be a lesson to media companies that no amount of capitulation to this administration will give them protection. »
April 28 update: Added Gomez’s answer.
