FCC ordered eight TV stations owned by Disney’s ABC to submit early license renewal requests in April. The order followed President Donald Trump’s call for the broadcaster to fire Jimmy Kimmel after a joke made at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. ABC and critics characterized the FCC action as an effort to chill free speech and exert editorial control, citing First Amendment concerns. FCC commissioner Anna Gomez called the move a direct assault on the First Amendment. ABC asked the FCC to review its licenses, arguing the review is inconsistent with legitimate investigative authority and incompatible with the First Amendment. FCC chief Brendan Carr said the investigation began over a year earlier and focused on potential discrimination in hiring, compensation, and promotion, and that Disney provided incomplete or disingenuous responses.
"FCC ordered eight TV stations owned by Disney's ABC to file early license renewal requests in April, soon after President Donald Trump called for the broadcaster to fire Jimmy Kimmel over a joke he made about himself and First Lady Melania Trump."
"ABC echoed those remarks on Thursday in an application asking the FCC to review its licenses, claiming the review is inconsistent with a legitimate exercise of investigative authority and is plainly incompatible with the First Amendment."
"Eisen asked Carr about these allegations during his Friday appearance on CNBC. Carr said Disney had been embroiled in controversies for years now related to their DEI policies, noting that the investigation was launched by the FCC over a year ago and was focused on potential discriminatory hiring, compensating, and promoting staff."
"Carr claimed that the FCC had been clear about the purpose of the investigation and had notified the company that in the staff's view, Disney had been filing incomplete responses and was disingenuous in FCC submissions."
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