Disney and ABC sue US regulator over early licence renewal push

Disney and ABC have filed a lawsuit against the Federal Communications Commission and its chairman, Brendan Carr, seeking to block an early licence renewal process for Disney-owned ABC stations. The case, filed on Tuesday, says the move is unprecedented and amounts to retaliation over the broadcaster's editorial content. The complaint argues that the administration is using the regulator to pressure a media company over what it broadcasts.

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According to the lawsuit, the FCC ordered licence renewals for the Disney-owned ABC stations in April, years earlier than the company says would normally happen. Disney says the commission had not called for early renewal in more than 50 years. The filing also says the push followed complaints linked to President Donald Trump and was prompted by a joke made by ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel about first lady Melania Trump.

The lawsuit names Disney and its eight owned-and-operated television stations as plaintiffs. It also says the company had previously faced scrutiny over its diversity, equity and inclusion practices and over ABC's daytime programme The View. FCC chairman Brendan Carr has said the renewal requests were based on public interest concerns rather than retaliation, and has argued that broadcasters unhappy with the obligations can move to cable, podcasting or online streaming.

The dispute matters because broadcast licences are central to how major television networks operate in the United States. Disney says the regulator's action threatens press freedom and amounts to government censorship, while the FCC says it is enforcing public-interest obligations for use of the public airwaves. The case adds a legal dimension to a wider conflict between the Trump administration and major media organisations over coverage and editorial decisions.

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The filing also refers to earlier tensions involving ABC and the regulator. Disney says the FCC had already been investigating the company's DEI practices and The View before the early renewal notice was issued. The company further points to Trump's social media posts, including one in which he said ABC's coverage of him was almost entirely negative and questioned whether its licences should be terminated.

Those posts are cited in the complaint as evidence of political pressure. What remains unclear is how quickly the court will act and whether the FCC will continue to press ahead with the early renewal process while the case is pending. It is also not clear whether the dispute will affect the timing of the stations' licences or lead to any broader regulatory changes.

The next key development will be the court's response to Disney and ABC's request for relief.

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