Disney Sues FCC and Chairman Over Threatened License Renewals

Disney has filed a lawsuit against the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and FCC Chairman Brendan Carr in the US District Court for the District of Columbia. The company stated the lawsuit aims to stop what it described as a "campaign of censorship" waged by the Trump administration against ABC.

The lawsuit accuses the FCC and Carr of violating the First Amendment by attempting to deny the renewal of broadcast licenses held by ABC stations. Disney, ABC, and the eight broadcast stations they own allege that the FCC's actions are retaliation against the company's "protected expression."

Disney claims the administration has "again and again attacked ABC's speech—the stories its journalists report and the viewpoints its network programs air." The lawsuit asserts these attacks have escalated into explicit demands to strip ABC of its broadcast licenses because of its speech.

The company also filed a motion for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to halt the ongoing FCC proceeding that threatens the renewal of ABC stations' licenses. The complaint was filed in Washington D.C.