Disney sues FCC over licence reviews of eight ABC stations

MUMBAI: The battle over the airwaves is moving to the courtroom. Disney and its ABC unit have sued the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC), seeking to stop an early review of licences for eight ABC-owned stations, alleging that the process is being used to pressure the network over its programming and editorial decisions.

The lawsuit, filed in a US District Court in Washington, claims the Trump administration is using the FCC’s licensing powers to retaliate against ABC over its news and entertainment output. Disney and ABC have asked the court for a temporary restraining order to halt the licence renewal proceedings and prevent the regulator from scheduling a hearing.

The companies said the public comment period for the licence reviews ended earlier this month and that the FCC could now take action at any time.

Disney and ABC argue that the regulator’s actions violate their First Amendment right to free speech, alleging that the administration is attempting to coerce the network after it declined to comply with demands concerning its programming.

The licence reviews were ordered a day after President Donald Trump called for ABC to fire late-night host Jimmy Kimmel. Trump has repeatedly criticised broadcasters over programmes and news coverage he disagrees with and has pushed the FCC to take action against ABC.

The dispute centres on a regulatory mechanism that gives the FCC authority over broadcast licences because stations use the public airwaves. While licence revocations are rare, the reviews have intensified concerns among critics that regulatory powers could be used to influence broadcasters’ editorial and programming choices.

Broadcasters, meanwhile, have broad First Amendment protections over the content they choose to air.

The latest clash is not Trump’s first confrontation with ABC. In November, he called for the FCC to revoke ABC’s licences after criticising an ABC News correspondent for asking Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman about the 2018 killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. Trump described the question as “insubordinate”.

The FCC is also separately investigating ABC’s daytime talk show The View, which frequently discusses US politics. The regulator has said the programme could potentially fall under federal rules requiring broadcasters to provide equal opportunities to political candidates.

The lawsuit now puts ABC’s licence fight squarely before the courts, turning a regulatory review into a broader test of where government oversight of broadcasters ends and editorial independence begins.