FCC slammed by former agency officials over ABC licenses
The FCC slammed former agency? Actually, bipartisan former chairs slammed the FCC and Chairman Brendan Carr over an early review of eight ABC-owned TV licenses, calling it an assault on free speech disguised as regulatory process and urging the commission to terminate the proceeding at once.
Key Takeaways
- Former FCC chairs and senior officials from Republican and Democratic eras filed Tuesday urging the agency to end its early ABC license review.
- They called the proceeding unprecedented and said it seeks to censor Disney's and ABC's speech.
- The FCC links the review to a DEI discrimination probe; critics call that pretext.
- Disney applied for renewals under protest; the comment deadline is Aug. 5, with more than 141,000 comments filed.
What Did Former FCC Officials Say About the ABC License Review?
In a filing with the FCC, ex-agency leaders blasted Carr and current leadership for what they described as a campaign to "censor Disney's and ABC's speech" through a highly unusual early review of spectrum licenses for eight ABC-owned stations.
"This early license renewal proceeding is unprecedented in the history of the Federal Communications Commission and a grave violation of both the Communications Act and the Constitution," the coalition wrote, according to Variety.
They added that the move sends "a chilling message to all broadcasters: carry speech we don't like at your peril," and branded the case "an assault on free speech disguised as regulatory process."
Why Does the Timing of the FCC Review Matter?
In April, the FCC's Media Bureau issued an order forcing ABC to reapply for those licenses on an accelerated schedule. Variety reported the order came one day after President Donald Trump called for Jimmy Kimmel to be fired over a joke about First Lady Melania Trump.
Signers included Mark Fowler (Reagan-era chair), Tom Wheeler (Obama-era chair), Alfred Sikes (George W. Bush-era chair), and other former chiefs of staff, general counsels, and bureau chiefs. FCC representatives did not immediately respond to Variety's request for comment.
Carr's FCC has said the early review ties to an investigation of Disney and ABC's potential violations of discrimination rules through DEI practices. The former officials countered that the proceeding is "pretext" for suppressing disfavored speech and warned Carr may have prejudged the outcome.
How Have Disney, Viewers, and Commissioners Responded?
In May, Disney filed renewal applications for the eight stations "under protest," calling the order unlawful and unconstitutional. The company later urged viewers to comment; more than 141,000 comments have been filed, with a deadline of Aug. 5.
The ex-officials also said petitions from the Center for American Rights and the Media Research Center seeking denial of ABC renewals are "not legitimate subjects of FCC regulation" and would unconstitutionally expand the agency's role into editorial choices.
Carr said last week the agency will consider ABC's decision not to carry Trump's July 16 election-security speech in the license review. Democratic Commissioner Anna Gomez pushed back, saying a vague public-interest standard is being used to punish speech the administration dislikes.
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