Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission regulates broadcast, cable, satellite and wire communications, and licenses broadcast stations. Entries naming it from 2025 onward record the use of licensing and regulatory authority in relation to broadcasters' editorial output, which is why they sit in licensing-as-leverage rather than in a policy category.
2026 Events (3)
FCC Chairman Carr warned ABC that not airing Trump's speech would factor into its ongoing broadcast license review
On July 22, 2026, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr publicly stated that ABC's decision not to air President Trump's prime-time White House address on its broadcast network would be considered as part of the FCC's ongoing license renewal review of Disney's eight ABC-owned television stations. Carr made the statement at an FCC press conference, framing the network's editorial choice as a potential violation of broadcasters' public interest obligations. Both ABC and NBC declined to carry the speech on their broadcast channels, though both networks streamed it online.
FCC orders early license review of Disney's ABC stations a day after Trump demands Kimmel's firing
On April 28, 2026, the Federal Communications Commission ordered The Walt Disney Company to file early renewal applications within 30 days for the eight ABC-owned broadcast television stations it operates, licenses not otherwise due for renewal for years. The order came one day after President Trump publicly demanded that ABC fire late-night host Jimmy Kimmel over a joke about First Lady Melania Trump. The FCC cited an open investigation into Disney's diversity, equity and inclusion policies, a rationale widely viewed as pretextual given the timing.
FCC Chair Carr threatens broadcasters' licenses over Iran war coverage
On Saturday, March 14, 2026, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr publicly warned that television broadcasters "running hoaxes and news distortions" about the war in Iran could "lose their licenses," telling them to "correct course before their license renewals come up." Carr issued the threat while amplifying a Truth Social post by President Trump attacking war coverage by outlets including The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. Media-law experts and lawmakers called the threat from the nation's chief broadcast regulator "authoritarian" and "unconstitutional."
2025 Events (1)
FCC Chair Carr threatened ABC license action over Kimmel's Charlie Kirk comments; ABC indefinitely suspended Kimmel
On September 17, 2025, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr publicly threatened ABC affiliates with regulatory consequences if they did not act against late-night host Jimmy Kimmel over Kimmel's recent comments about Charlie Kirk. Within hours, Nexstar and Sinclair Broadcast Group — both with transactions pending FCC approval — announced they would preempt Kimmel's show, and ABC suspended Jimmy Kimmel Live! indefinitely that same day. Former FCC senior official Gigi Sohn called it "the most blatant" use of the FCC's bully pulpit to intimidate a major network in the history of the agency.