Disney Sues FCC to Block Early ABC License Reviews

The Walt Disney Company has asked a U.S. judge to block the Federal Communications Commission from conducting early reviews of eight ABC station licenses. The company alleges that FCC Chair Brendan Carr is acting on directives from President Donald Trump to punish broadcasters for speech critical of the administration.

These reviews, ordered in April, are highly unusual because the licenses are not scheduled for renewal until October 2028. Disney notes that the FCC has not ordered such early reviews in over 50 years. The company links the move to repeated demands from Trump that broadcasters drop disliked programs and specific threats made against journalists, including an ABC White House reporter and NBC's Kristen Welker.

Disney argues the FCC is using the licensing process as a retaliatory tool to curb protected speech. Neither the White House nor Brendan Carr has commented on the court filing.