Disney Lawsuit Challenges FCC’s Unprecedented Early Review of ABC Station Licenses

On October 6, a federal hearing in Washington, D.C. will let Disney lawyers ask U.S. District Judge Loren L. AliKhan for a temporary restraining order to stop the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from conducting an early review of the broadcast licenses for Disney’s eight locally owned ABC stations. Disney says the FCC’s action is an “extraordinary assault on free speech” and seeks to block what it calls coercive retaliation for the network’s programming.

Reuters

President Donald Trump has urged broadcasters to drop programs he disapproves of, targeting ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel and *The View*. After those calls, FCC Chair Brendan Carr, a Trump appointee, ordered the early review in April—an action the agency had not taken in more than five decades. The move follows other administration disputes with media outlets.

Reuters

• Eight ABC-owned stations are subject to the accelerated review, including markets such as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco and Philadelphia.

New York Times

• Broadcast licenses are normally renewed every eight years; Disney’s ABC licenses are not scheduled for routine renewal until 2028 at the earliest.

New York Times

• FCC Chair Brendan Carr says the agency has made no decision on revoking any licenses and frames the review as a statutory “public-interest” requirement.

Reuters

• Judge AliKhan previously required the FCC to give the court at least 48 hours’ notice before proceeding with a public hearing.

Reuters

• Mark Fowler, former FCC chair, stated, “What Carr is doing is unconstitutional.”

NPR

• Bruce Brown, president of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, called the FCC’s action “one of the greatest threats right now facing journalism.”

NPR

• The FCC has not announced a final decision, and it is unclear whether the review will lead to revocation.

Reuters

• Disney emphasizes First-Amendment concerns; the administration and supportive groups argue the review is a legitimate exercise of the “public-interest” mandate, though no public evidence links it to specific programming.

Reuters

The October 6 hearing will determine whether Judge AliKhan grants Disney a temporary restraining order, potentially shaping the FCC’s licensing authority in politically charged contexts.

Reuters