The ACLU is seeking internal Federal Communications Commission records that could shed light on why the agency ordered eight ABC-owned stations to seek early license renewals.
In a Freedom of Information Act request, the civil liberties organization asked the FCC to turn over records and communications related to the decision, including material involving Disney, ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel and Trump administration officials.
The request marks the latest challenge to the FCC’s decision to accelrate the license-renewal process for the ABC stations, whose licenses otherwise would not have come up for renewal until 2027 or 2028.
The ACLU is seeking records that could reveal what prompted the FCC to order the early renewals and whether communications from Trump administration officials or complaints about ABC programming factored into the decision.
The FCC ordered the stations to file early renewal applications in April, a move that put the licenses under agency review years ahead of schedule. The order affected ABC-owned stations in several major markets, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Philadelphia.
The timing also drew attention because the order came one day after President Donald Trump called for ABC to fire Kimmel over a joke about first lady Melania Trump. Carr subsequently denied that the White House pressured him to initiate the early reviews and said the decision was unrelated to Trump’s criticism of Kimmel.
Instead, Carr said the accelerated reviews were connected to the FCC’s examination of diversity, equity and inclusion practices at Disney and ABC.
The move comes amid broader scrutiny of the FCC Chairman and the agency’s use of its regulatory authority over broadcasters. Carr has argued that stations using the public airwaves must meet their public-interest obligations, while critics have accused the commission of wielding its licensing authority to pressure broadcasters over their programming and editorial decisions.
The FCC did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
