Disney sues US regulator, claiming political retaliation over ABC stations

FCC faces scrutiny as Disney claims licence renewal order is tied to political motives against ABC’s coverage.Published On 18 Aug 202618 Aug 2026Disney has filed a lawsuit against the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) amid efforts to stop an early licence review for eight ABC-owned and -operated stations around the United States.In the lawsuit filed in a federal court in Washington, DC, the media giant alleged the early renewal is an effort by the administration of US President Donald Trump to intimidate the company after infuriating the president.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4How a simple lighter has become the backbone of life in Gazalist 2 of 4Japan’s economy slows, missing growth forecastslist 3 of 4Trump’s approval rating sinks to new low at 33 percentlist 4 of 4Canada battles the clock, politics in scramble to avert Trump’s tariffsend of listIn April, the FCC ordered the network’s stations, which include its affiliates in New York and Los Angeles, to file their licence renewals ahead of schedule despite the fact that for six of its stations, the current term isn’t even halfway finished. The station with the closest deadline is WTVD in Durham, North Carol...