ABC this week accused the Trump administration of violating its free speech rights with a regulatory action focused on the talk show “The View,” according to a filing submitted to the Federal Communications Commission.
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In the filing, the Disney-owned network blasted the federal government for creating a “chilling effect” on First Amendment freedoms with an investigation of whether “The View” broke a requirement that broadcast stations give equal time to political candidates for the same office.
The FCC, which regulates the broadcast airwaves, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on ABC’s filing, which wasmade public Friday.
The filing is Disney’s most pointed legal salvo against the Trump administration since the president returned to the White House last year and began sharply criticizing American broadcast networks over their on-air content.
In February, the FCC said it was looking into whether “The View” violated equal-time rules after an appearance by James Talarico, who was then running for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate in Texas. (He went on to win the primary.)
“The FCC has an enforcement action underway on that,” FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, told reporters at the time.
ABC fired back in its filing this week, insisting that “The View” airs under an exemption to the equal-time rule “granted to it more than twenty years ago.” ABC said “it has never been disputed” that “The View” is a so-called “bona fide” news show, meaning it is not subject to the equal-time standard.
The filing was registered on behalf of KTRK-TV, ABC’s owned station in Houston, which the network said was ordered to file a formal request asking whether the talk show qualified for the exemption.
“The Commission’s order to file this Petition for Declaratory Ruling is unprecedented, beyond the Commission’s authority, and counterproductive to the Commission’s stated goal of encouraging free speech and open political discussion,” ABC said.
Source: Drudge Report
