ABC Tells the FCC It Is Running 'Attempted Censorship' as 150,000 Comments Pile Up Against the Agency

ABC has stopped playing defense. In a filing submitted to the Federal Communications Commission this week, the network accused the agency of "attempted censorship" and said the proceeding against eight of its television stations exists to punish coverage the White House dislikes.

The filing names President Donald Trump and FCC Chairman Brendan Carr by name, which is not how broadcasters usually talk to the regulator that holds their licenses. "President Trump has expressly demanded that the Commission revoke ABC's broadcast licenses for speech he dislikes," the network wrote. "Since his appointment, Chairman Carr has subsequently opened all manner of investigations." ABC went further, framing the case as a warning shot aimed at every newsroom in the country: "The retaliation against ABC is a signal to every media company in the country: accommodate the Administration's view of what news coverage should look like or pay the price."

The dispute traces back to September 2025, when Carr publicly pressured ABC over a Jimmy Kimmel monologue that touched on the assassination of Charlie Kirk and drew furious reaction on the right. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way," Carr said at the time, adding that "these companies can find ways to take action on Kimmel, or there is going to be additional work for the FCC ahead." Kimmel's show was briefly pulled before returning.

In April, Carr took the unusual step of calling in renewal applications for eight ABC-owned stations years early. The licenses do not expire until 2028. The FCC said the early review concerned the stations' diversity and inclusion practices, and it followed petitions from pro-Trump groups asking the commission to deny the renewals outright. ABC's filing argues the stations "easily meet the standard for license renewal" and says the agency is "searching for some pretext for revoking the Stations' licenses."

The public docket has not gone the FCC's way. More than 150,000 comments have been filed, overwhelmingly siding with the network. A group of former FCC chairs — from both parties — wrote to Carr urging him to end the review, calling it "an assault on free speech disguised as regulatory process" and a violation of both the Communications Act and the Constitution. Republican Senator Ted Cruz has separately called Carr's license threats "dangerous as hell."

An FCC spokesperson defended the proceeding, saying broadcasters are obligated to "operate in the public interest — not in the narrow or partisan interests of a political party," and that stations must answer for violations involving DEI discrimination and political equal-opportunity rules.

ABC is not treating this as a routine licensing matter. The network has retained trial lawyer Beth Wilkinson and Supreme Court litigator Paul Clement — a roster assembled for a fight that both sides expect to end in federal court. The commission is expected to rule in August.