Disney and ABC sue FCC to stop early license renewal process

The Walt Disney Co. and ABC sued the FCC, seeking to stop an early license renewal process that they say is an attack by the Trump administration.

The Walt Disney Co. and ABC on Tuesday sued the Federal Communications Commission, seeking to stop an unusual early TV station license renewal process that they say is an attack on free speech by the Trump administration.

The lawsuit is one of the most muscular legal challenges a media corporation has mounted against the second Trump administration.

In late April, the FCC ordered Disney’s eight owned-and-operated television stations to file their broadcast license renewals ahead of schedule. The directive came amid a probe into ABC’s “The View” program, as well as a long-running investigation into diversity, equity and inclusion practices at Disney.

Disney owns and operates TV stations in markets such as Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco. The licenses were not due to come up for renewal until 2028 at the earliest. All eight of Disney’s owned ABC stations are part of Tuesday’s lawsuit.

The move from the FCC also came after the White House and President Donald Trump himself assailed ABC late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel for a joke about first lady Melania Trump.