The network ABC has accused the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) of abusing broadcast licensing renewals to attack its parent-company Disney on behalf of President Donald Trump.
Disney issued its claims in a new federal court filing that challenged the Trump administration’s “justification for ordering early license renewals for all eight ABC-owned television stations, years before their licenses were set to expire,” per TheWrap.
At issue is whether the FCC is pursuing a legitimate regulatory investigation or retaliating against a broadcaster over programming that has drawn criticism from President Donald Trump.
Disney’s attorneys pointed to government attorneys’ acknowledgment during an Oct. 6 hearing that other enforcement tools were available, arguing that the agency’s decision not to use them undermined its stated justification for the reviews.
“These are not merely ‘theoretical[]’ tools… they have been used by the agency for decades. Yet the agency tried none of those less intrusive tools here, instead taking the unprecedented step of calling for early license renewal of all eight ABC-owned stations at once,” Disney’s attorneys argued.
“Defendants’ own admissions leave no doubt as to why — Defendants sought to inflict maximal coercive pressure on the media company whose speech the Administration sought to curb, while deliberately evading judicial review,” they added.
The FCC has claimed that the licensing reviews were part of an investigation into whether or not Disney violated federal anti-discrimination laws in its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) hiring practices.
“All broadcasters have a legal obligation to operate in the public interest—even Disney. The FCC has been examining claims that Disney engaged in illegal DEI discrimination for over a year. Disney is obviously very concerned about the FCC’s proceeding, as evidenced by their ongoing campaign of disinformation as well as their decision to ask a court to stop the FCC from further pursuing matters. The FCC will continue to follow the facts and law wherever they lead,” the agency said in a statement.
Disney has maintained that the Trump administration has used a “federal regulatory apparatus to punish a media organization for editorial decisions and news coverage it dislikes.”