FCC may – FCC Chair Brendan Carr dismissed ABC’s on-air drive to submit public comments as standard PR, while Commissioner Anna Gomez argued the agency could selectively use the flood of submissions. The dispute is playing out alongside FCC proceedings over equal time r
President Donald Trump praised FCC chair Brendan Carr for trying to “make the fake news real,” as the network at the center of the agency’s ongoing fights — Disney-owned ABC — pressed viewers to weigh in.
ABC launched an on-air campaign encouraging the public to submit comments to the Federal Communications Commission amid the FCC’s proceedings against the network. By June 25, tens of thousands of comments had been filed.
At an open meeting on June 25, the FCC remained split on ABC. Carr called the campaign a “fairly standard, off-the-shelf PR strategy,” and said the commission “hadn’t reached conclusions about ABC,” describing the agency as “open-minded” while it considered the cases.
The public push is not happening in a vacuum. One of the FCC’s probes into ABC is tied to the commission’s equal time rules. The FCC initiated an “enforcement action” against ABC in February after state Rep. James Talarico, D-Texas, appeared on “The View” while he was running in the state’s Democratic U.S. Senate primary.
Carr previously characterized the episode as a procedural matter at the commission’s March open meeting. He said ABC had not submitted the proper paperwork declaring an appearance by a political candidate — a step that. in turn. would open the window for an opposing candidate to request “comparable time and placement.”.
Commissioner Anna Gomez, appointed by former President Joe Biden in 2023, rejected that framing. At the March meeting, she said the FCC “is using the equal time rule as a way to harass broadcasters for content that it disfavors.”
ABC has argued the FCC is overreaching. In a May legal filing accusing the agency of violating its First Amendment rights. ABC said the talk show “has been broadcasting under a bona fide news exemption granted to it more than twenty years ago.” Later that month. the FCC began accepting public input on whether ABC should be exempt from the requirement to offer equal broadcast opportunities to political candidates. By June 25, more than 50,000 comments had been filed on that question.
The FCC’s focus on ABC is also extending beyond equal time. In April. the agency ordered Disney-owned ABC to file license renewals for its eight television stations by late May — years ahead of schedule. The order said the commission was investigating the stations “for possible violations of the Communications Act of 1934 and the FCC’s rules. including the agency’s prohibition on unlawful discrimination.”.
In response. Disney said it was “confident” that its “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.” The FCC also sought public input on the license renewal matter. and nearly 40. 000 comments had been filed as of June 25.
Carr described ABC’s broader public campaign — which has included both local and national television spots — in dismissive terms, calling it a “fairly standard, off-the-shelf PR strategy.” He also said net neutrality remains another hot-button issue drawing significant public attention.
Gomez, however, was far less persuaded that public input will matter in a way that reflects genuine openness. She said she was doubtful the submissions would shape the outcome. warning: “I suspect this FCC will cherry-pick the submissions of partisan organizations to support its goal of silencing critics.”.
Even so, Gomez praised ABC’s willingness to fight. She said she was “glad to see them fight. ” adding that “They need to do that. ” and framing ABC’s efforts as a test for other broadcasters. Gomez told colleagues that broadcasters could “either stand up for the freedom of the press and the freedom of speech. or they can surrender. ” and said she would “rather they do the former.”.
In the midst of the FCC’s split, the campaign’s scale has made the debate feel immediate: thousands of comments pouring in as the agency weighs whether ABC must change how it handles political time and placement and whether its licenses should be renewed under FCC scrutiny.
Disney did not immediately provide comment after being reached out to by the outlet.
FCC Brendan Carr Anna Gomez ABC Disney equal time rules The View James Talarico license renewals Communications Act of 1934 First Amendment public comments net neutrality Trump