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Senate Democrats Decry FCC's Early ABC Renewal Order as Abuse

5/8/2026

Summary

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Senate Democrats called the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) early-renewal order for ABC an abuse of power and asked Brendan Carr to rescind it.
The order forces eight ABC stations, licensed 2028-2031, to apply for renewal early, after President Donald Trump urged the network to fire Jimmy Kimmel.
The senators’ letter demanded timing, legal review, White House contact details, noting the FCC’s separate probes of ABC’s DEI practices and debate-moderation handling.

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Story summary

Senate Democrats called the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) early-renewal order for ABC an abuse of power and asked Brendan Carr to rescind it.
The order forces eight ABC stations, licensed 2028-2031, to apply for renewal early, after President Donald Trump urged the network to fire Jimmy Kimmel.
The senators’ letter demanded timing, legal review, White House contact details, noting the FCC’s separate probes of ABC’s DEI practices and debate-moderation handling.