FCC Seeks Dismissal of ABC Lawsuit Alleging First Amendment Violations in License Review
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has filed a motion asking a federal court to dismiss a lawsuit brought by ABC, which alleges that the FCC's early review of its television station licenses constitutes an 'extraordinary assault' on its First Amendment rights. ABC's lawsuit claims that the FCC's true motive for initiating early license renewals for its eight owned-and-operated local TV stations is to regulate the content of its programming, rather than its stated reason of investigating allegations of unlawful discrimination in employment practices at Disney and ABC. The FCC, in its September 3 filing, argues that ABC has failed to establish a causal link between its protected speech and the early renewal proceedings. The agency maintains that the early review was triggered by Disney's alleged lack of cooperation with an anti-discrimination inquiry that began in early 2025. The FCC also contends that the federal district court is the incorrect venue for the lawsuit, asserting that such legal chall... 
