Overview
- ABC, which filed a 52-page petition Thursday that was made public Friday, accused the FCC of violating its First Amendment rights and enlisted Supreme Court litigator Paul D. Clement to press the case.
- 'The View' drew an FCC enforcement inquiry after Texas Senate candidate James Talarico appeared in February, even though ABC says the show has a bona fide news interview exemption the commission granted in 2002.
- The FCC ordered ABC’s Houston station, KTRK-TV, to seek a declaratory ruling on the show’s status and flagged potential paperwork requirements, which ABC called unprecedented and beyond the agency’s authority.
- In a statement to the Associated Press, the commission said equal-time law encourages more speech and confirmed it will review Disney’s claim that 'The View' qualifies as a bona fide news program under Section 315.
- The dispute unfolds as the FCC conducts early reviews of ABC-owned station licenses and probes Disney/ABC’s DEI practices, with ABC alleging selective enforcement that could chill political coverage heading into the 2026 elections.