FCC lawyers have filed a motion asking a federal judge to reject Disney's lawsuit seeking to block the agency from reviewing ABC's broadcast licenses. The FCC argues that its investigation is ongoing and halting it now would prevent the commission from fully investigating allegations of unlawful discrimination against Disney and ABC. The agencies are involved in a long-running dispute over ABC's license renewal, with Disney accusing the FCC of retaliating against the network for its programming decisions. A hearing on Disney's request for an injunction has been scheduled for October 6.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-04,
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same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has filed a motion with a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit brought by Disney and ABC, which seeks to block the FCC from continuing its review of their broadcast licenses. This review is part of an investigation into allegations that Disney and ABC have violated federal law through unlawful discrimination. The FCC argues that halting the process now would prevent them from fully investigating these claims, and granting an injunction would hinder the commission's efforts to determine whether Disney's stations are serving the public interest. The FCC has not yet made any decisions on enforcement action against Disney, but wants to continue with its review of their licenses.
Written for “Disney vs ABC Licensing” on 2026-09-05,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
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Leaning score +0.35 for article 3864 (high confidence, 1 verified quote) · logged 2026-09-04
Lawyers for the Federal Communications Commission are asking a federal judge to throw out Disney and ABC’s lawsuit seeking to block the agency from continuing its early review of the network’s broadcast licenses.
asserted
Lawyers → ask → licenses
In a filing Thursday, FCC lawyers argued that Disney’s lawsuit is premature because the agency has not yet decided whether to take any enforcement action against the company.
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agency → argue → company
They said halting the process now would prevent the commission from fully investigating allegations that Disney and ABC violated federal law.
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Disney → say → law
“The renewal process in progress does not abridge or otherwise affect Plaintiffs’ rights,” the FCC wrote.
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FCC → abridge → rights
“Licensees with pending renewal applications are entitled to continue operating without interruption during the license period for the duration of the renewal proceeding—even were it to result in a hearing.”
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it → pende → hearing
The agency argued that granting Disney’s request for an injunction would “only hobble the Commission’s efforts to investigate and resolve serious allegations that Disney has engaged in unlawful discrimination” and determine whether its stations are serving the public interest.
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stations → argue → interest
The FCC instead asked the court to reject Disney’s request for a preliminary injunction that would prevent the agency from referring the licenses to a public hearing.
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that → ask → hearing
“Granting Plaintiffs’ request would mean taking administrative processes off the table before the Commission has seen and analyzed the voluminous evidence,” the agency wrote.
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agency → grant → evidence
The legal fight stems from a lawsuit Disney and ABC filed in August against the FCC, accusing the agency of violating their First Amendment rights by ordering an early renewal review of all eight of Disney’s ABC-owned broadcast stations.
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Disney → stem → stations
But FCC Chairman Brendan Carr ordered Disney to submit the renewal applications years ahead of schedule, citing an ongoing investigation into whether Disney and ABC engaged in prohibited discrimination.
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Disney → order → discrimination
Meanwhile, Disney and ABC contend that the FCC’s actions are part of a retaliatory campaign over the network’s programming and editorial decisions.
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actions → contend → decisions
The FCC has rejected that characterization, maintaining that the license review is tied to its discrimination investigation and is unrelated to programming decisions involving ABC, including the network’s morning show The View or late-night host Jimmy Kimmel.
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review → reject → show
U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan has scheduled a hearing on Disney and ABC’s request for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction for Oct. 6.
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AliKhan → schedule → Oct.
