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2d ago

FCC Chair Accuses ABC of Misinformation as Network Urges Viewers to Flood Equal‑Time Dockets

The clash has raised the stakes on rare early license reviews and could produce hearings or court fights that define how equal-time law applies to talk shows.

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Brendan Carr speaks during the U.S. Chamber of Commerce 2025 Global Aerospace Summit in Washington, D.C., U.S., September 9, 2025. REUTERS/Annabelle Gordon/File Photo
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Overview

  • FCC Chairman Brendan Carr publicly accused The Walt Disney Company and ABC of running a misinformation campaign on Thursday after the network began airing spots urging viewers to file comments in two active FCC dockets.
  • The agency is processing two linked proceedings that could have major consequences: docket No. 26-124 will decide whether The View qualifies for the narrow "bona fide news" exemption to equal-opportunity rules, and No. 26-131 accelerates renewal reviews for ABC’s eight owned stations tied to a DEI inquiry.
  • ABC filed the early renewal applications "under protest," calling the FCC’s April call-up unlawful, and the View docket has drawn more than 16,000 public comments that the agency will include in its record.
  • Near-term procedural deadlines are set in the record with petitions to deny the license renewals due June 29 and reply deadlines for the View proceeding extending into early July, and the dispute is likely to move to administrative hearings and court appeals.
  • The equal-opportunity provision of the Communications Act requires broadcasters to offer comparable time to qualified candidates and the FCC’s January guidance limited presumptive talk-show exemptions, a legal test that will now be decided through the agency’s record and possible litigation.