FCC's ABC Fight and Ownership Cap Repeal Raise Stakes for Broadcast TV

The Federal Communications Commission’s fight with ABC is no longer just about one network, one talk show or one late-night host.

Under Chairman Brendan Carr, the agency is defending its scrutiny of ABC while also moving to repeal the national television ownership cap, a change that could allow major station groups to expand their reach. Together, the moves have intensified questions about how much power the FCC should have over broadcast media at a moment when President Donald Trump has openly criticized ABC programming and repeatedly called for Jimmy Kimmel to be fired.

Carr defended the agency’s actions in a July 31 Fox Business interview, arguing that broadcasters receive free access to valuable public airwaves and must “operate in the public interest.”

“Look, as a country, we should have a trusted, respected news media, and we’re not there,” Carr said. “So I hope more broadcasters return to their public-interest obligations.”

ABC sees something more threatening. In a July 30 FCC filing, the network accused the agency of targeting eight ABC-owned local broadcast licenses because the administration dislikes the network’s viewpoints.

“The retaliation against ABC is a signal to every media company in the country,” ABC wrote. “Accommodate the Administration’s view of what news coverage should look like or pay the price.”

The license review began in April, shortly after a clash over a Jimmy Kimmel Live! joke that angered Trump. The FCC cited Disney’s diversity, equity and inclusion practices, while ABC argued the early review was extraordinary and retaliatory.

ABC is also fighting Carr’s effort to revisit whether The View qualifies as a “bona fide” news program exempt from equal-time rules for political candidates. The FCC classified the daytime show that way in 2002.

ABC said more than 140,000 public comments had been filed in the license matter, with more than 95% supporting the network’s position.

On August 6, the FCC voted 2–1 along party lines to repeal the national broadcast ownership rule, which barred one company from reaching more than 39% of U.S. television households over public airwaves.

Carr said the rule would be replaced by “case-by-case review” and argued that the old cap was outdated in a media world dominated by tech platforms.

Critics warned the move could accelerate consolidation. Democratic commissioner Anna Gomez called the cap a “structural safeguard to preserve localism, viewpoint diversity, and competition.”

“Eliminating the cap does not free local broadcasters from economic pressure,” she said, “it just changes who is doing the squeezing.”