FCC to Seek Early Review of Disney’s Broadcast TV Licenses

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The Federal Communications Commission will likely pursue an early review of Disney‘s broadcast TV licenses, in a move that has little modern precedent.

The move, which was first reported by Semafor, is sure to be seen as retaliatory after President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump called for late night host Jimmy Kimmel to be fired yesterday, though it is not actually clear whether the FCC will cite Kimmel if and when it officially calls in the licenses.

The FCC, led by Chairman Brendan Carr, has two open investigations into Disney and ABC, one into the company’s diversity, equity and inclusion practices, which it opened last year, and another into The View over an appearance by Texas Senate hopeful James Talarico over its equal opportunity rule. It is believed that the new move is tied to the DEI investigation, though details remain vague for now.

It is important to note that the FCC only has oversight of the broadcast licenses that Disney holds. The company owns eight local TV stations, including WBAC in New York and KABC in Los Angeles. The licenses were not due for renewal until 2028.

“This is unprecedented, unlawful, and going nowhere,” Democratic FCC commissioner Anna Gomez said in a statement. “It is a political stunt and it won’t stick. Companies should challenge it head-on. The First Amendment is on their side.”

Coincidentally, the FCC opened an early license review Monday against Bridge News, LLC, citing the public interest standard.

Carr has repeatedly said over the past few months that an early review of broadcast licenses is an option for the FCC, and that he expected there to be legal action between the FCC and at least one network before President trump’s term ends.

Any effort to revoke those licenses would be time-consuming and take place in court, where Disney could cite First Amendment protections, as Gomez alluded to. Even if the FCC was successful, the move would not remove ABC from the airwaves.

In an interview with Katie Miller set to be released Tuesday, Carr again raises the issue when discussing the FCC’s investigation into Disney’s DEI practices.

“There’s lots of options. You have a license. The licenses come to you every so often. You can accelerate when a license comes to you and say, hey, we have significant concerns with the value of conducting your operations. We want to review your license now and decide if you’re in the public interest,” Carr said in a clip released early by Miller. “If we find that a broadcaster hasn’t been doing that, then the statute requires us to issue a hearing designation order.”

The FCC has not responded to a request for comment as of writing, a spokesperson for Disney declined to comment.