ABC accused the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) of violating its First Amendment rights amid Chair Brendan Carr’s scrutiny of Disney.
The network wrote in its filing that Carr’s crackdown on its programming, specifically the talk program “The View,” is “unprecedented, beyond the Commission’s authority, and counterproductive to the Commission’s stated goal of encouraging free speech and open political discussion.” ABC claimed the examination “chill[s] critical protected speech, both with respect to The View and more broadly.”
“Indeed, the marketplace of ideas has never been more robust, and people can hear virtually any brand of political commentary by listening to a podcast, watching cable, scrolling social media, or streaming on a phone, computer or connected TV,” the company argued, as per The Hill. “The free flow of ideas flourishes on these non-broadcast platforms even though the equal opportunities rule does not apply there.”
The case centers on equal time policies. In a statement to the Associated Press, the FCC said the law “encourages more speech and empowers voters to decide the outcome of elections. The FCC will review Disney’s assertion that ‘The View’ is a ‘bona fide news program’ and thus exempt from the political equal time rules.”
Carr has also ordered Disney to file broadcast license renewals ahead of schedule.
The order reads, “The FCC has been investigating The Walt Disney Company, its American Broadcasting Company, and its subsidiaries (collectively, ‘Disney’s ABC’) for compliance with its obligations as a licensed broadcaster,” Specifically, the FCC has been investigating Disney’s ABC stations for possible violations of the Communications Act of 1934 and the FCC’s rules, including the agency’s prohibition on unlawful discrimination.”
