The Media Research Center (MRC) on Monday accused ABC of electioneering, excusing political violence, and spreading misinformation, in a filing on Monday.
“We finally have an FCC willing to hold Disney and ABC accountable. Broadcast licenses are a privilege, not an entitlement. In exchange for free use of the public airwaves, broadcasters agree to serve the public interest,” MRC President David Bozell said.
“If ABC wants to operate like a partisan cable network, it should give up the benefits reserved for broadcast licensees. No one is above the law, and ABC should not have its broadcast licenses renewed,” Bozell continued.
The Center for American Rights (CAR) has also argued that the FCC should strike down ABC’s licenses.
The FCC, under Chairman Brendan Carr, has reviewed Disney’s eight broadcast licenses, which include ABC channels across New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Carr has also hounded the company for failing to comply with an investigation into the company’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies.
“Broadcast licenses are not sacred cows,” an FCC spokesperson told the New York Post. “When a broadcaster files an application to renew their FCC licenses, Congress has tasked the FCC with determining whether the broadcaster has served the public interest. That is exactly what the FCC will do here.”
ABC struck back, saying that the early license review conducted by the FCC serves “no legitimate purpose” and is instead an “effort to suppress speech under the guise of bureaucratic process.”