ABC Sues Trump Administration Over F.C.C. Threat to Its TV Licenses

ABC sued the Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday, accusing the agency of violating the First Amendment in its efforts to possibly strip the network’s local broadcasting licenses.

The company asked a federal court to stop the F.C.C. from pursuing the regulatory moves, which the network said posed an “existential threat” to its operations.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington, was a rare example of a major media organization’s suing the Trump administration over its unrelenting campaign to punish the national press through lawsuits, reporting restrictions and, in the case of the major networks, the regulatory power of the federal government.

ABC, which is owned by the Walt Disney Company, has already argued in agency filings that the F.C.C. was motivated by a hostility to the network’s coverage and content. Its lawsuit includes various quotes from President Trump calling for the revocation of broadcast licenses for coverage he has not liked.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/18/business/media/abc-fcc-lawsuit-broadcast-licenses.html