Overview
- FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said Wednesday that ABC’s choice not to carry President Trump’s July 16 speech will be considered in the agency’s ongoing early review of eight ABC-owned station licenses.
- ABC and parent company Disney filed the required early renewal applications under protest and are urging viewers to submit public comments in the FCC dockets.
- Commissioner Anna Gomez and other critics say the FCC has no power to punish editorial decisions and warn the review risks chilling protected speech and exceeding constitutional limits.
- The early review began in April after an unusual Media Bureau order tied to concerns about Disney’s diversity, equity and inclusion practices and the stations’ public-interest obligations.
- The dispute has drawn congressional letters and heavy public filing activity and is likely to move to administrative hearings and court appeals that could set new precedents for broadcast oversight.