Key facts
- FCC Chair Brendan Carr stated all options are on the table for ABC's license renewal.
- The review covers eight Disney-owned ABC television stations and an investigation into "The View."
- ABC is urging viewers to protest the FCC's actions, calling them an attempt to "control who is allowed" on the show.
- The FCC's actions follow an interview on "The View" with a Democratic Senate candidate.
- Critics allege the accelerated renewal process is politically motivated retaliation against critics of Donald Trump.
FCC Chair Brendan Carr has stated that all options remain on the table as the agency reviews the license renewals for eight Disney-owned ABC television stations and investigates the network's talk show "The View."
Carr indicated that the FCC will "follow the facts and the law wherever they take this," dismissing Disney's public relations strategy as "standard off-the-shelf." This review follows an accelerated process for license renewal, a move widely seen by critics as retaliation against those who have criticized Donald Trump. The FCC's order came a day after Trump and his wife, Melania, reportedly lobbied for ABC to cancel Jimmy Kimmel's late-night show.
ABC is skeptical of the FCC's stated rationale, arguing in an 18-page memo that the investigation into diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices is merely a pretext to retaliate against a disfavored broadcaster and chill its speech. However, critics see this as an opportunity to challenge ABC's fitness for broadcasting and its service to the public interest. A conservative legal group, the Center for American Rights, has confirmed its intention to file a petition to deny the renewals on multiple grounds.
The public has until June 29 to submit comments, with ABC having a month to respond to any petitions to deny. Following this, the matter could be handed to an administrative law judge for a trial-like process or be decided by the FCC commissioners. Telecommunications policy experts suggest the entire review and appeals process could span two to three years, potentially extending beyond Trump's presidency.
ABC is urging viewers to submit responses to the FCC, arguing that the agency is attempting to "control who is allowed to appear" on "The View." An ABC commercial stated that the FCC wants to control who is allowed on the show and encouraged viewers to tell the FCC to "let the viewers decide."
For decades, the FCC has classified late-night and daytime entertainment talk shows as bona fide news for their interview segments, exempting them from the equal-time rule. "The View" itself received such an exemption in 2002. Carr's decision to open a proceeding departs from this longstanding approach, particularly after "The View" aired an interview with Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico. Carr has not opened similar proceedings into talk radio shows.