A sitting FCC Commissioner has accused her own agency of a “sustained, coordinated campaign of censorship” against The Walt Disney Co., escalating a multi-front battle that threatens the media giant’s broadcast licenses.
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Disney Faces 8 FCC Probes in Escalating Censorship Battle
Federal Communications Commissioner Anna Gomez has formally accused the Trump administration of weaponizing the FCC in a “sustained, coordinated campaign of censorship” against Disney’s ABC network, a move that adds significant internal dissent to a series of regulatory actions targeting the company.
“The Commission’s actions threaten to upend decades of settled law and practice and chill critical protected speech,” ABC said in a legal filing last week regarding one of the probes.
The regulatory assault includes an investigation into the news status of talk show “The View,” a demand for eight ABC-owned stations to file for early license renewal, and a probe into the company’s diversity initiatives. ABC has already produced 11,000 documents for the inquiry into "The View" alone.
The conflict creates significant regulatory and political risk for Disney, potentially leading to millions in legal fees and threatening its valuable broadcast licenses. For the broader media industry, it represents a chilling escalation of political pressure on news organizations, where, as Gomez noted, “The threat is the point.”
A Multi-Front Regulatory War
In a letter sent Monday to Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro, Gomez, the commission's sole Democrat, detailed what she called the weaponization of the FCC under Republican Chairman Brendan Carr. The actions are “not a series of coincidental regulatory actions,” Gomez wrote, but a clear effort to “pressure a free and independent press and all media into submission.”
The campaign's origins trace back to President Trump's public criticism of ABC and its personalities. The FCC's decision last month to order eight ABC-owned television stations to file for early license renewal followed shortly after the president called for the firing of late-night host Jimmy Kimmel. This move is typically reserved for when the agency is preparing to challenge a broadcast licensee.
The View and the 'Equal-Time' Rule
A central battleground is the FCC's probe into whether the ABC talk show “The View” should retain its exemption from the "equal-time rule" as a news program. The investigation follows an FCC rule change in January that opened the door to a crackdown on talk shows. ABC argues the investigation is a clear attempt to chill political speech that the administration dislikes, noting in a filing that the show has invited numerous conservative figures who have declined to appear.
The pressure has already had a ripple effect. CBS talk show host Stephen Colbert cited similar FCC threats as a reason for not airing an interview with a Democratic senate nominee in February.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.
[1] An FCC Commissioner Tells Disney the Agency Is on a Campaign to Censor It - WSJ[2] FCC commissioner tells Disney that agency is on campaign to censor it[3] From ABC license reviews to Comey indictments, Trump's regulatory war on critics enters new phase[4] ABC challenges FCC probe into 'The View' news status[5] ABC is officially fed up with the FCC’s probe of ‘The View’
