Disney's ABC is facing an early renewal of its broadcast licenses for eight local stations, a move seen as retaliation against critics of Donald Trump. The FCC has opened a pleading cycle for critics to challenge ABC's fitness to broadcast, with a conservative legal group confirming it will file a petition to deny.
The US Supreme Court upheld the FCC's system for levying fines against wireless carriers AT&T and Verizon. The 8-1 ruling rejected the companies' argument that the agency's in-house proceedings violated their right to a jury trial.
ABC is accusing the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) of violating its First Amendment rights by making "major shifts in policy and practice" that the network claims will chill free speech. The network is asking the FCC to "affirm its long-standing approach to the bona fide news interview exemption" for daytime talk show The View, and […]
After a joke by late-night host Jimmy Kimmel drew calls from the White House for ABC to fire the comedian, the US Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday ordered an early licence review of the network’s television stations. The stand-off between US President Donald Trump’s administration and the global entertainment conglomerate is the first crisis facing Walt Disney’s new CEO Josh D’Amaro. Last Thursday, Kimmel, whose late-night television programme airs on Disney’s ABC, did a send-up of...
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has ordered Disney to file for early renewal of its ABC-owned television station licenses within 30 days, citing an ongoing investigation into the company's DEI efforts. The eight stations originally had licenses expiring between 2028-2031. Disney says it is confident in its compliance record and will contest the action through legal channels.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has ordered Disney to file for early renewal of ABC-owned television station licenses within 30 days, citing the ongoing investigation into Disney's DEI efforts that began last year. The licenses were originally scheduled for renewal between 2028 and 2031. Disney says it is confident in its compliance record and will contest the order through legal channels.
The FCC has ordered Disney's ABC to seek early broadcast license renewals for its eight TV stations, following criticism from Melania Trump about a Jimmy Kimmel joke. The joke, made during a mock White House Correspondents' Dinner sketch, prompted President Trump to call for Kimmel's firing. FCC Chair Brendan Carr, speaking on a podcast hosted by Katie Miller (wife of Stephen Miller), said the FCC can accelerate license reviews if there are significant concerns about whether operations serve the public interest. Democrats and First Amendment advocates have condemned the action as government intimidation of broadcasters.
A federal regulatory agency is demanding that Disney’s ABC stations renew their broadcast licenses early following controversial comments made by late-night host Jimmy Kimmel about former First Lady Melania Trump. Kimmel referred to Melania Trump as an ‘expectant widow’ in his monologue, sparking the regulatory response.
Former FCC commissioners and staffers across parties are urging the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to force a vote on repealing the FCC's News Distortion Policy. The bipartisan group filed their petition in November 2025 after Chair Brendan Carr invoked the 1949 rule to pressure ABC over Jimmy Kimmel. Carr, who can alone bring the item to a vote, has refused while using the policy to threaten broadcasters perceived as biased against Trump. The petitioners argue the policy is unconstitutional and has been weaponized, seeking to compel FCC action before midterm elections.
A bipartisan group of former FCC commissioners and staffers is urging the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit to force a vote on repealing the FCC's News Distortion Policy, arguing it has been weaponized by Republican Chair Brendan Carr. The petition, filed in November 2025 after Carr invoked the rule to pressure ABC over Jimmy Kimmel, has been blocked from a commission vote by Carr, who opposes repeal. The group seeks a writ of mandamus to compel action, citing concerns about the policy's use to threaten broadcasters perceived as biased against Trump, with midterm elections approaching.
The US FCC is considering new measures to restrict Chinese telecom carriers, potentially barring them from operating data centers and limiting their access to US networks, marking an escalation in the tech crackdown.
