Media

Democratic FCC commissioner blasts probe of ABC broadcast licenses

by Dominick Mastrangelo - 04/29/26 9:58 AM ET

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by Dominick Mastrangelo - 04/29/26 9:58 AM ET

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A Democrat at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is blasting the department for kicking off an early review process targeting several Disney-owned broadcast stations for license renewal.

Commissioner Anna M. Gomez, a frequent critic of Chairman Brendan Carr, called Tuesday’s decision “the most egregious action this FCC has taken in violation of the First Amendment to date.”

“As part of its ongoing campaign of censorship and control, the White House called publicly for the silencing of a vocal critic, and this FCC has now answered that call,” Gomez said in a statement. “This is an unprecedented and politically motivated attempt to interfere with how broadcasters operate, and this unlawful overreach will fail.”

The FCC review process of the handful of Disney-owned and operated stations came a day after President Trump and first lady Melania Trump called for the firing of ABC late night host Jimmy Kimmel over jokes he made about the Trumps last week.

The department said in a filing this week it has for months been investigating Disney over its corporate diversity, equity and inclusion practices.

Carr has repeatedly said the FCC has a duty to scrutinize whether broadcast companies that utilize the public airwaves are serving the “public interest,” and has criticized both Kimmel and ABC’s news coverage.

In a statement on Tuesday, Disney said it has “a long record of operating in full compliance with FCC rules and serving their local communities with trusted news, emergency information, and public‑interest programming,” and is “confident that record demonstrates our continued qualifications as licensees under the Communications Act and the First Amendment and are prepared to show that through the appropriate legal channels.”

Gomez argued the latest development between the FCC and Disney is evidence the Trump administration is trying to intimidate media companies and personalities critical of the president.

“This should be a lesson to media companies that no amount of capitulation to this Administration will buy them protection,” she said. “The only choice is to stand up and stand firm in defense of the First Amendment.”

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